Andrea Petkovic on ATP player escapades: "I was disappointed"
Andrea Petkovic has survived a knee injury and will take part in the prize money tournament in Berlin in a few days. The 32-year-old was annoyed in an interview about the consequences of the Adria Tour and explained why she is continuing her career longer than planned.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Jul 07, 2020, 07:57 am
"I was affected by the people who were at risk as a result. Even for athletes, the long-term damage cannot be estimated - and without a fully functional lung, it will be difficult for a competitive athlete," Petkovic told Bild on Sunday about the positive COVID-19 -Tests by Novak Djokovic and Co. For Petkovic, the exhibition fights in Belgrade and Zadar were irresponsible.
"I was wondering why it had to be so early, so fast. Couldn't it have been done with more security? You wanted to be pioneers, and unfortunately it backfired," said Petkovic. "I was disappointed with the whole thing. We want to play the US Open in August. That's all in question now. There are 2000 to 3000 people involved in a Grand Slam even without spectators. This can be endangered by such actions . "
Petkovic: "I owe tennis so much"
Petkovic actually wanted to end her career at the end of 2020. After the break due to corona, she quickly decided to play at least 2021. "Sure, I have to listen to my body and I may not be able to complete the entire schedule, but I don't want Corona and a knee surgery to end my career," said the six-time ATP tournament winner.
And further: "For me, tennis is a kind of representation of life: being lucky, unlucky, winning, losing, dealing with it, but still remaining collegial, making friends in an incredibly competitive environment. That's why I love tennis so much and owe it to this sport so much."
Petkovic was number 9 in the world in October 2011 in the top 10 of the WTA ranking. In that year she reached the quarterfinals of the Australian and the US Open. In 2014, she had her best Grand Slam result with the semi-finals at the French Open.