NEW YORK -- He has been the best player in mens tennis for the past five years, ranked No. 1 for 113 consecutive weeks.But for a variety of resonating reasons, Novak Djokovic doesnt feel like the favorite here at the US Open.That would be No. 2 seed Andy Murray, riding the wave of his recent victories in Wimbledon and Rio de Janeiro. Full disclosure: The oddsmakers still favor Djokovic by the slightest of margins.Murray absolutely wrecked Lukas Rosol in the opening round, dropping only seven games. Djokovic gave away that many in a single set -- and 13 overall -- in an uninspired initial outing against Jerzy Janowicz.All in all, this is probably a good thing for Djokovic, who lately has been fraying at his ends.On Wednesday afternoon, he received the best news possible: Jiri Vesely pulled out of their second-round match with a left forearm injury. Vesely actually had a career 1-0 record against Djokovic after winning earlier this spring in Monte Carlo.This gives the 29-year-old three full days of non-match rest, which gives his sore left wrist and right arm a chance to recover for his third-round match against either Guido Pella or Mikhail Youzhny.Djokovic came into this US Open as the defending champion, but was knocked out of the Rio Olympics in the first round by Juan Martin del Potro and forced to withdraw from the recent tournament in Cincinnati.The wrist was the issue coming in, but when Djokovic called for the ATP World Tour trainer to work on his arm during that first-round match, more red flags were raised. Afterward, he understandably declined to get into specifics about his physical condition.To be honest, I take it day by day, Djokovic said. Thats what I feel at the moment. Its good, as I said, just to finish the match. Im pleased that as the match progressed I was feeling better and better.I hope that Ill feel overall good so Im able to perform at my best for the next match.Djokovic, like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, is experiencing some of the difficulties that come from being at the top of his craft. All tennis players suffer stress on their joints, but the ones who go deepest into draws feel it the most. In the past 52 weeks, Djokovic has played 84 matches, the most in tennis. Murray (78) and Milos Raonic (66) are next in line.Not only is Djokovic the father of a 1-year-old, Stefan, he was recently elected president of the player council, a position that requires time and leadership abilities.Despite all the swirling questions, Djokovic has a chance to do something quite rare. With a title here, he can join Roger Federer (2006-07) as the second man to win three majors in consecutive years.And consider this bit of fortuitous statistical fodder: Djokovic has won seven straight matches against the highest-seeded player in his half of the draw, No. 4 Rafael Nadal, and has never lost to the next two, No. 5 Milos Raonic (7-0) and No. 7 Marin Cilic (14-0).After his first-round match, Djokovic did not sound like a man succumbing to the hysteria of the moment.I have more than enough happiness in my life and blessings to be a father and a husband, he said. Life is wonderful. I mean, there is no doubt about it. I cannot sit here and complain and whine about the issues that everybody has in each day in their lives, privately, professionally.When you expect the least, thats when you have things coming at you as lifes lessons. Im glad that Im able to accept them and to greet them with a consciousness of wanting to evolve and wanting to get the best out of them. Thats all I can say. Wholesale Jordans China . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Wholesale Jordans . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. http://www.cheapairjordanfreeshipping.com/ . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. Cheap Jordans For Sale . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. Cheap Authentic Air Jordan . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. AUGSBURG, Germany -- Bundesliga side Augsburg sacked coach Dirk Schuster and his coaching staff on Wednesday due to internal divisions on how the club should be run.The way were playing has nothing to do with Augsburg, with how we want to see the club, general manager Stefan Reuter said. There were also different viewpoints on the future prospects. It doesnt make sense anymore to drag on the work together unnecessarily. Its not compatible.Referring to Saturdays upcoming league game against visiting Borussia Moenchengladbach, Reuter added: The timing is unusual (two games before the winter break) but we didnt have the conviction that we would be taking to the pitch with courage and enthusiasm against `Gladbach.Schuster, along with assistant coaches Sascha Franz and Frank Steinmetz, were released with immediate effect, the club announced on its website.Youth coach Manuel Baum was to take over an interim basis.Augsburg is 13th in the 18-team Bunndesliga with three wins in 14 games.dddddddddddd The club lost at Hamburger SV on Saturday and had drawn its previous three matches.The last weeks gave an indication. There was a trend that we didnt like, Reuter said. After analyzing the Hamburg game the conviction grew that it couldnt continue like this, that wed run into the danger of not reaching our goals.Schuster joined Augsburg in the summer to replace Markus Weinzierl, who left for Schalke. The 48-year-old Schuster previously led Darmstadt from the third division to the Bundesliga.Weinzierl had a worse start than Schuster in his first 14 games at Augsburg, ending the 2012/13 season in 15th, two points above the relegation zone. The following seasons saw improvement, in eighth and fifth respectively, before Augsburg finished 12th under Weinzierl last season. ' ' '