'A lot of players are upset' - Novak Djokovic blasts USTA over ejection of Pella & Dellien
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has been at loggerheads with the media and tennis officials of late, in part due to the COVID-19 fiasco at Adria Tennis Tour. After blaming the media for the 'witch-hunt' they have started against him, Djokovic has now criticized the USTA's decision to bar Guido Pella and Hugo Dellien from the 2020 Cincinnati Masters.
Pella and Dellien's fitness trainer tested positive for COVID-19, and the USTA officials claimed they had no option but to withdraw the two players - in accordance with the CDC rule. But Novak Djokovic and his colleagues are of the opinion that the guidelines set by the organizing body are too arbitrary.
Novak Djokovic irked at how Guido Pella & Hugo Dellien have been dropped from W&S Open
The officials at Flushing Meadows, New York consulted the US Open medical staff and the New York City Department of Health before sending the duo of Pella and Dellien into quarantine. But Novak Djokovic questioned the rationale behind that given that the two players had actually tested negative.
“On a Zoom call a few weeks ago we got information from the chief medical doctor of the USTA that if a player is not sharing a room with his coach, or his physio, or anyone from his team that is infected, and his (own) results are negative, he can still compete in the tournament,” ESPN quoted Djokovic as saying in a video news conference with reporters covering the event.
This is not the first time that Novak Djokovic has disagreed with the USTA. He had previously spoken out against the "extreme restrictions" that the organizers intended to put the players under - a problem that has since been alleviated.
Novak Djokovic believes the health and safety protocols in the bubble are unclear
Novak Djokovic also said the players had repeatedly asked the USTA officials about the exact protocol in case team members tested positive, but had got no satisfactory answer. It is still unclear whether Guido Pella and Hugo Dellien will be allowed to play the 2020 US Open.
“That’s why a lot of the players were – are – upset, including myself, when I see that Pella and Dellien are treated in this way,” Djokovic said.
USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier has defended the exclusion of Pella and Dellien from the Cincinnati Masters, stating that the duo had been in "close contact, as spending 15 minutes or more, within six feet” of the fitness trainer who tested positive for COVID-19.
In addition to Novak Djokovic, three-time Major winner Andy Murray has also spoken out in support of Pella and Dellien. The Scot believes the players haven't been given clear enough guidelines for such situations.
“Some of the players were saying, ‘Well, I wouldn’t have come with a trainer or a physio if I knew that was the case,’” Murray said. “I’m not saying that it’s not the right decision, but the players were not clear as to what the rules actually were.”