After attacking Novak Djokovic for his concerns, Collins breaches COVID-19 protocols herself
Novak Djokovic has been under the scanner for a variety of reasons lately. First he received flak for his seemingly anti-vaxxer views, then came the Adria Tour fiasco, and recently his association with a dubious archaeologist has also been questioned.
Amid all this, he had also made some comments about the US Open protocols which didn't go down well with a few of his fellow players. Djokovic had called the proposed safety restrictions too 'extreme', after which Danielle Collins hit out at the World No. 1 for his supposed insensitivity.
“No one has been able to play sanctioned events or make money since February," Danielle Collins had said. "This is a massive opportunity for players to start making money again, and here we have the top player in the world saying only being able to bring one person will be too difficult because he won’t be able to bring his entourage.”
Collins was a semi-finalist at last year’s Australian Open, and since then has been one of the most vocal players on tour. Novak Djokovic did not respond to her comments at the time, but he is having the last laugh now as Collins has been found guilty of breaching the safety restrictions at a tournament herself.
The American has been removed from the World TeamTennis event in West Virginia for breaking the COVID-19 protocols. The official statement by World TeamTennis organisers stated:
“We have dismissed Danielle Collins for the remainder of the 2020 World TeamTennis season after breaking our COVID-19 protocols and leaving The Greenbrier Resort and the state of West Virginia.”
Many fans have since pointed out how ironic this transgression by Collins is. Just a month after lambasting Novak Djokovic for worrying about draconian safety rules, she went ahead and broke those very rules herself.
Will Novak Djokovic play the US Open?
Back in the first week of June, Novak Djokovic had expressed his displeasure over the proposed protocols at this year’s US Open. While the rules have not been made official yet, a draft of the broad points had been relayed to the top brass of men’s tennis - which prompted a sharp rebuke from the World No. 1:
"The rules that they told us that we would have to respect to be there, to play at all, they are extreme. We would not have access to Manhattan, we would have to sleep in hotels at the airport, to be tested twice or three times per week. Also, we could bring one person to the club, which is really impossible. I mean, you need your coach, then a fitness trainer, then a physiotherapist.”
Roger Federer has already ruled himself out of the rest of the season due to injury, and Rafael Nadal looks keen on going directly to clay. If Novak Djokovic too pulls out of the US Open too, it would put the tournament itself at risk of being cancelled.