Dirk Hordorff on the US Open - "If you are not there, you cannot win"
Dirk Hordorff, Vice President of the German Tennis Federation, spoke in an interview with "Stats Perform News" on some pressing and urgent questions in international tennis.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Jun 20, 2020, 06:09 pm
The second phase of the DTB German Men's Series is imminent, and from Tuesday the intermediate round will continue at various locations such as the TennisBase in Oberhaching or at the TC Großhesselohe. Dirk Hordorff was the driving force behind the tournament series in his role as DTB Vice President. But Hordorff has been stirring up tennis internationally for years - and has commented on the latest developments in a conversation with "Stats Perform News".
So Dirk Hordorff ...
... about the fact that Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal did not attend an ATP meeting involving 400 people
Sure, if you are the President of the Player Council and then you are not at the meeting, then that is not a good thing and was not well received by your colleagues. But you shouldn't put Novak in the foreground. He is only one in ten members. Roger Federer was not there, Rafael Nadal was not there. These are the three light figures of the past few years who keep saying that they want to stand up for their colleagues. Then you should also try to be part of a zoom meeting. If 400 players are sitting there and their three main representatives, who are also the most important people on the players' council, are not there, then of course it is not well received. The meeting was about returning to tennis, not three servings of spaghetti. It is a very substantial topic. You should expect that these players are already there.
… About Novak Djokovic's statement that he could not take part in the tournament with only one authorized supervisor on site
Gentlemen. At a time when people lose their jobs and loved ones, with a $ 60,000 prize money for a first-round loss, saying "I can't do the tournament with just one caregiver on the course," I have to say this statement I would rather have saved myself. Especially since most players only have one supervisor. The generations that used to play tennis can only laugh about it. It would have been better not to make the statement.
… Whether a Grand Slam title without the big three in the field would be just as valuable?
Yes. It has the same status. If you are not there, you cannot win. Roger Federer would not have been there under any circumstances. I expect Novak Djokovic to come and play. Rafael Nadal has only been rumored so far, and nothing official has been heard of. It would certainly be nice if they came, but it shouldn't be criticized if someone makes another decision. The one who is the winner at the end of the day also won.