Novak Djokovic no longer apprehensive about US Open, is 'excited' that it is going ahead
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who had earlier voiced apprehensions about the conduct of the US Open, has now taken a conciliatory stand on the issue. Speaking on Eurosport's Tennis Legends podcast, Novak Djokovic said that he is "very glad" that the US Open has received the nod to go ahead.
The Serb also describe how eagerly he is looking forward to this year's French Open. In a chat with former World No. 1 Mats Wilander and tennis expert Alex Corretja, Novak Djokovic expressed satisfaction that the ATP tour would officially resume play from 14 August in the run-up to the much-awaited US Open.
During the last three months, Novak Djokovic has been quite vocal about issues pertaining to the conduct of tennis tournaments. In April, the Serb had expressed his reluctance to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Earlier this month, he had even termed the proposed US Open restrictions "extreme", and balked at the idea of a reduced player entourage at the US Open.
'Fantastic that the tour is coming back' - Novak Djokovic
But now the Serb seems to have done an about-turn, saying that he is 'excited' about the prospect of the return of tennis.
"I’m extremely happy and excited to see that all the tournaments, especially Grand Slams, are organising their events," Djokovic said on the podcast.
While acknowledging the fact that he had expressed apprehensions about the US Open earlier given the impact that the pandemic has had in USA, Novak Djokovic now seems convinced by the conditions under which the event is scheduled to be held.
The Serb said that he is 'very glad' that the tournament has finally gotten the nod, and explained his stance on the US Open in detail:
"We are very glad that it is happening, of course, and it is very important that we provide opportunities, we provide jobs, we provide opportunities for players to compete. Because at the end of the day, this is what we do! As tennis professionals we love the sport; we are passionate about it. We miss competing and travelling and, at the end of the day, we miss being on tour. So I think this is a very positive news."
Djokovic further said that given the dire situation in South America, players from the Latin American countries might not be allowed to fly out. He did, however, express hope that the ATP and USTA would resolve the issue.
Taking an egalitarian stand, Djokovic said :
"Hopefully every single player who is participating, chosen by ranking and who deserves their place at the US Open, will have an equal opportunity to travel there and compete as everybody else. This is very, very important because this is the foundation of the ATP and the foundation of international tennis."
Speaking with Wilander, Djokovic said he was optimistic that in the next couple of months, further relaxing of restrictions would enable a "great tournament".
Novak Djokovic says he can't wait to go back to Roland Garros
Turning his attention to the French Open, the 17-time Grand Slam champion expressed satisfaction that the organizers were able to schedule the event at a later date keeping in mind the challenges and complications that come with planning such a big tournament.
"It is great that we have a roof, obviously, on Philippe Chatrier this year, so those are the positive things and I look forward to it. I mean it’s one of the most important and one of the nicest tournaments in the world. I always enjoy playing there and I can’t wait to go back."
With the ATP tour finally set for a full return, Novak Djokovic will look to pick up where he left off and continue his unbeaten start to the season.