NEW YORK -- Top-seeded Novak Djokovic spent a short day in the office at the US Open on Friday, lashing forehands and feathering drop shots for only 31 minutes before Mikhail Youzhny threw in the towel with a hamstring pull while trailing 4-2 in the first set.It was still a longer workday than Djokovic experienced Wednesday, when he never punched in at the National Tennis Center at all. Jiri Vesely, his second-round opponent, issued a walkover because of a sore arm.Kyle Edmund, Djokovics next opponent, might be hiding under the bed in his hotel room right now, worried about what fate might have in store before he meets Djokovic on Sunday.Coming into this tournament, Djokovic was the one worrying about injuries. A tender right arm and a sore left wrist that flared up out of nowhere during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro were of great concern. Suddenly, his lack of match play since a first-round singles loss in the Olympics to Juan Martin del Potro is a potential issue.Has the extra time off been a curse or a blessing?Considering the stage of the season, the amount of matches Ive played, what Ive been through with my body, I think its actually good to have some days off, and then shorter matches, Djokovic said Friday.But in the same breath, the Serbian star added, From the other side, sure, as you are approaching second week of the Grand Slam you want to have match play and you want to have time spent on the center court before you face one of the top players.Djokovic is a master of equivocation, but he doesnt hesitate to say this is the first time he has dealt with an interlude of this kind at a Grand Slam event. He has had at least one walkover before; Fabio Fognini pulled out before their quarterfinal at the 2011 French Open. And at the Rome Masters in 2008 he advanced thanks to back-to-back retirements early in his quarterfinal and semifinal. Nicolas Almagro and Radek Stepanek lasted a set each on that occasion.Here in New York, Djokovic will have played only six games in five days when he takes the court Sunday. Hes the first man in the Open era to win three matches by playing only four complete sets.Djokovic didnt exactly complain about his light workload, but Friday he did ask if he might be allowed to remain on Arthur Ashe Stadium court for an unscheduled 45-minute practice session. His wish granted, Djokovic eagerly shed his dressy black-and-white attire and slipped into a gym rats gray T-shirt.Co-coaches Boris Becker and Marian Vajda fed him balls as Djokovic worked on his serve with a practice partner. He missed many serves and frequently grabbed the back of his neck with his left hand and appeared to twist his head, as if trying to work out a kink. But he dropped that gesture once he began to play points and showed no signs of being impaired. He said he was pleased with the progress he has made with his fitness.The arm is doing very well, he said. Everything is going in the right direction. I feel significantly better now than I have just at the beginning of the tournament.Djokovic might be rounding into form in a nick of time. Andy Murray, the No. 2 seed, has shown no sign of taking his foot off the gas after his triumph at Wimbledon and gold-medal performance in Rio. Once a reliably unreliable player despite his undisputed place among the elites, Murray is playing with an uncharacteristic degree of consistency. He might be on a career-shaping run, a version of Djokovics glorious run in 2011.Rafael Nadal, seeded No. 4, is as much of a sleeper here as a man of his stature can be; people are talking about him without really talking about him. His confidence is growing by the day, and theres scant evidence of the anxiety that hounded him during his prolonged slump.Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, is everyones darling because of all he has been through with his injuries. Hes just crushing the ball. Delpo can hurt Djokovic, as he has done four times in 15 matches and twice in the Olympics (before Rio, del Potro defeated Djokovic in the 2012 bronze-medal match in London).Thats just for starters. No. 3 Stan Wawrinka, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Kei Nishikori and Gael Monfils are all dangerous veterans and playing well.Djokovic appeared to have the tour in a stranglehold as little as two months ago, as Wimbledon unfolded. His grip has been loosened considerably, and people have been reminding him of it. He said he doesnt really mind.There were stages in my career where I was very much into it, following who says what, Djokovic said, referring to all the speculation about whether hes slipping. That affected my mind. Not anymore.Djokovic said hes more self-reliant now. Hes less influenced by the opinions and theories of others. I know what are my capabilities and I know what I am able to do, what Im able to achieve. If I play the right tennis, I can win against anybody in any surface.All he needs now is the chance to go out and advance in the tournament by actually playing matches.Deandre Ayton Jersey . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Kevin Johnson Jersey . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. https://www.thesunslockerroom.com/Steve-Nash-City-Edition-Jersey/ .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. Dragan Bender Jersey . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. Marquese Chriss Suns Jersey . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses.BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana quarterback Richard Lagow has finally found a Division I school that fits.The Hoosiers up-tempo style plays to his strengths, Indianas depth at receiver and strong ground game give him plenty of options, and after two games the strong-armed Texan looks like hes been running this offense for years, not months.Thats why the Hoosiers are off to a 2-0 start.I carry myself in a way that is not like an incoming freshman and thats how I acted around the team and the guys, Lagow said after his most recent win two weeks ago. Just learning the offense was the only part, really, and learning all the guys new plays.For Lagow, its been a long journey.He originally signed with UConn but transferred before his freshman season because of a coaching change. He landed at Oklahoma State, where walked on and redshirted. Then it was off to junior college in Texas for two years.Now, at his fourth school in four years, the transition from highly-touted junior college prospect to Big Ten starter has gone about as smoothly as possible. He beat out junior Zander Diamont for the starting job in August, then went 18 of 27 for 240 yards with one touchdown pass, one TD run and no turnovers in his starting debut at Florida International.Two weeks ago against Ball State, Lagow was even better: 17 of 28 for 266 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions and an impressive rating of 175.6. Not surprisingly, he led the Hoosiers to the first 30 points of the game -- more than enough to weather the Cardinals 20-point closing flurry -- for another victory.Sure, coach Kevin Wilson asked Lagow to fine-tune a few things during their bye week, but he cant quibble with the ultimate results -- especially from the Ball State game.On his first TD pass, Lagow read the blitz and was calm enough to put just enough air underneath the pass to allow the outstretched Nick Westbrook to run underneath it for a 43-yard catch.In the second quarter, he sifted through his progressions before throwing a 10-yard dart to Niick Timian for another TD.ddddddddddddIn the third quarter, Lagow detected the mismatch on the outside and threw a nifty flanker screen to Westbrook, who sprinted 79 yards for the score.You see their screen game, you see their quick-hitters, theyve got a quarterback whos starting his second game for them, so thats part of their package, Ball State coach Mike Neu said. They do a good of mixing it up and trying to get him comfortable and calmed down and just playing the game.Indianas receivers expected nothing less from the new guy theyve been working with since January.But he might be playing even better than Wilson anticipated.There are a couple calls, we need to clean up, Wilson said. Weve got to get it out of his hands, but hes got a good look about him. His stats arent bad, but hes 2-0 and thats good.Now comes the hard part -- making progress before a daunting stretch against four straight unbeaten teams.The run begins Saturday when surprising Wake Forest (3-0, 1-0 ACC) comes to town. Thats followed by a home game against hosting No. 8 Michigan State (2-0), a trip to No. 2 Ohio State (3-0) on Oct. 8 and another home game against No. 20 Nebraska (3-0) on Oct. 15.Between now and then, Lagow knows what his mission is: Get comfortable, get in sync and get ready to show everyone what he can do at his new school.First game, I would have liked to have started better, Lagow said. Second game, I would have liked to have finished better. So just continue to build the whole package and have one real, complete game and then keep stacking those up in a row.Game notesAll-American right guard Dan Feeney (concussion) still has not been cleared to practice after getting injured in the Ball State game. ... Wilson didnt say whether Simmie Cobbs Jr. would return this season after injuring his ankle against Ball State.---Online: AP College Football Website: www.collegefootball.org ' ' '