The tennis world has been facing a lot of tricky issues this year after being disrupted by the Coronavirus pandemic. There is a lot of work to do to allow tennis to be back, at least for the US Open, but many players do not seem too eager to take part in the American slam because of the restrictions. Unfortunately, the US Open may miss all the Big3 with Federer already out after he had another procedure.
Why Novak Djokovic will probably skip the US Open
The world no.1 has already expressed his dissatisfaction with the measures that should be required to play at the Flushing Meadows. Novak was not agreeable with bringing only 1 person in his team and the fact that players would be required to sleep nearby the stadium without the opportunity to move around. In addition, players may be asked to observe a 14-days quarantine if coming from outside the US.
When talking to Serbia’s state broadcaster RTS, Novak released the following comments:
“Most of the players I have talked to were quite negative on whether they would go there. For me currently, as things stand, most probably the season will continue on clay at the beginning of September.”
Djokovic has also decided to stage on clay the Adria Tour, an event he has just created and that will start pretty soon. This is a rather good indicator that training on hard (US Open) is not a priority.
Djokovic explains why it’s impossible to play the US Open with the current measures
Last year at the US Open, Novak had to retire from the 4th round when facing Stan Wawrinka as he was struggling with his shoulder.
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Nadal and the US Open
Recently, Rafa also expressed his doubts about playing the US Open with the current conditions. In addition, it is improbable that Rafa will play back to back the US Open, the Internazionali d’Italia, and the Roland Garros. Being the “King of Clay,” Nadal is more likely to compete in Rome and Paris and ditch the North American slam with all the uncertainties around it.
Novak Djokovic in 2020
Now the world no.1, Djokovic played his last match on the 29th of February when he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-4 in the final in Dubai to win his 79th career title.
Currently, this year Novak has a 18-0 win-loss record. Novak conquered 2 titles in 2020 at the Australian Open and in Dubai.
Novak Djokovic |
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