Novak Djokovic backs into Causa US Open: "Glad they are taking place"
Novak Djokovic is known to have expressed himself quite skeptical about the measures for the staging of the US Open . Now the world number one rowed back in conversation with Eurosports Tennis Legends Vodcast .
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Jun 19, 2020, 10:02 am
It was statements that caused widespread criticism in many places. Novak Djokovic, board member of the Players Council and world number one, described the measures of the US Open as "extreme" in relation to a Serbian TV station. The fact that it was considered to only allow one coach per player was "impossible" for the industry leader. At that time, Djokovic even went so far as to rule out his participation under these conditions.
In his official statement, the American tennis association, USTA, has at least mitigated Djokovic's main criticism that two rooms, each with two people, have now been awarded to each player, which means that the number of coaches has already risen to three. The search for private accommodation is also allowed. That should have given great joy to the industry leader, since he was now quite positive about the second Grand Slam of the tennis year.
"I am very happy and excited that all tournaments, especially the Grand Slams, are organizing their events," said the Serb in an interview with Eurosports Tennis Legends Vodcast , which is due to be released on June 25. "We are obviously very happy that this is happening and it is very important that we offer opportunities, we offer jobs, we offer players the opportunity to measure themselves," continued Djokovic.
US Open without qualification
"I am sure that I am speaking on behalf of all players and all tennis fans and everyone involved in the tennis ecosystem. We have been waiting for this for all these months!" Stated the Serb. Nevertheless, Djokovic emphasized that the restrictions are still very strict, that travel restrictions in particular are problematic in some countries, such as South America. "Hopefully this will change: ATP and USTA, everyone is working on it. In the worst case it will stay that way, but there is still time," said the 17-time Grand Slam champion.
In the course of the conversation, Novak Djokovic also raised a point that is viewed extremely critically by many players: the loss of qualification at the US Open. The Grand Slam in New York City is only open to those players who qualify based on their world rankings, and there will be no chance of qualifying thanks to sporting achievements in 2020. For the Serb, it is now particularly important that at least all those players who will start at the US Open have the same chances - especially with regard to the arrival. "It is to be hoped that every single participating player has the same chance to travel there and compete there like everyone else. It is very, very important, because this is the basis of ATP and the basis of international tennis."
Just two weeks after the US Open, the revised calendar will feature the last Grand Slam of the year, the Grand Slam in Paris, the French Open. This tournament will also have to face some challenges, the much later date will make temperature and weather the decisive factors. Djokovic sees a novelty at the French Open 2020 as useful for dealing with these challenges. "It's great that we have a roof over Philippe Chatrier this year, so those are the positive things and I'm looking forward to it." Last year, Djokovic failed in an epic semi-final game against Dominic Thiem.
With that, Novak Djokovic of course also backpedaled a bit with his quite negative attitude towards any restrictions that require the tour to be resumed. Restrictions that played a significantly subordinate role at his tennis festival in Belgrade last weekend. Handshakes, hugs and spectators were the order of the day instead of social distancing and ghost tournaments.
Djokovic: "Line not crossed"
The resulting pictures were on the one hand a welcome change in the days of COVID-19 , but on the other hand also caused sharp criticism. Djokovic also commented on this via Eurosport: "It is not easy to explain to people that the situation in the USA or Great Britain is completely different from that in Serbia or the surrounding countries. The rules and measures that are adopted by the Government and public health institutions were established, we followed from day one. We didn't cross the lines, " said the world number one.
According to these statements by the Serb, competing in the US Open now seems much more realistic than a few days ago. After Federer's cancellation due to injury, only a statement from Nadal from the "Big Three" is pending, which was also quite critical of the planned measures at the Grand Slam in New York. For women, on the other hand, Simona Halep, second in the world rankings, has already announced that she will be canceled.