Belinda Bencic: "Djokovic was the only one who stood up for us"
Belinda Bencic about the longing for fresh air, unequal treatment between the players and the goodwill of Novak Djokovic.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Jan 24, 2021, 02:40 pm
"When you find out that you have to spend 14 days in a 20 square meter room, of course you first think that this Australian Open has been screwed up," said Belinda Bencic in an interview with the Swiss website 20min.ch .
Her luck: She is allowed to share her room with her friend and fitness coach Martin Hromkovic, "a very positive person who helps me to see the positive side," says the Swiss woman. "I also fully understand the Australians' caution. They have suffered a lot. Even today there are many who cannot return to Australia to see their families. So our concerns as tennis players should be put into perspective."
She herself works five hours a day, including cycling, flexibility exercises and hitting the wall with a ball "to activate muscle memory". The hardest part: the closed windows. "I'm looking forward to playing tennis again, of course. But above all, I dream of taking a deep breath, of fresh air. Especially since our room is very dusty. We play sports there, we eat there, we sleep there. And you can do it don't ventilate or clean. I wish I had a vacuum cleaner. " It is also difficult to hear how other players - who are allowed to go to Melbourne Park for five hours - are called to pick them up. "This unequal treatment two weeks before a Grand Slam - although I understand the reason for it - is difficult to accept."
Bencic: "Communication wasn't perfect"
Did she know about the possibility of having to spend 14 days completely in quarantine ? "It is true that this rule has never been explicitly stated in any of the emails we have received," said the 23-year-old. "In the end, the communication wasn't perfect." The ATP had apparently warned its players, the WTA not. All of this contributed to the reactions that initially went through social media.
She understands the preferential treatment of the top stars who live in Adelaide in rooms with balconies. "They are the best, who do the most for our sport." On the other hand, she finds it difficult to live with the fact that some official hotels have large rooms and others small ones. "I got a bike, others didn't. None of this is fair." In this respect, she also wants to praiseNovak Djokovic's commitment . "Although he ultimately fell on the nose, he was the only one of the privileged who stood up for us."