"I don't know if it's really the best" - Novak Djokovic displeased over new rule letting people into arena between games at Australian Open
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is not pleased about fans being allowed to take their seats in the stands even when there is no changeover between games, a new policy that is being tested out at the ongoing Australian Open.
The Serbian great, who is the defending champion at the tournament this year, feels that the policy distracts players, results in a loss of time and changes the atmosphere, thereby causing inconvenience to players.
"I don't know if it's really the best rule, but I do understand from a tournament and fan perspective it's probably better because they (fans) don't want to wait. They want to come out and enjoy every single point," Djokovic said in his post-match press conference after his win in the first round.
Though the 24-time Grand Slam champion appreciated the motive behind the move, which is to improve the experience for fans, he is of the opinion that it is hard on players.
"Like (Frances) Tiafoe, for example, is one of the players that was saying we should let people, like in other sports, freely walk and talk during matches. It's hard, I must say," Djokovic said.
While he admitted that players should all play for the fans first and foremost, he believes that it should not spoil an atmosphere that players have become used to during matches.
"I understand that and I support it to some extent but at the same time all my career all my life I've been used to some kind of atmosphere. When that changes, it kind of messes up, distracts you a bit," Djokovic said.
"Today we lost quite a bit of time when they were letting people in to come to their seats, even though it was not a changeover. My opponent would wait for them to sit down," the Serb added.
"I had an amazing opponent" - Novak Djokovic on Dino Prizmic
Novak Djokovic was all praise for his first-round opponent Dino Prizmic, whom he beat in four sets in a match that lasted over four hours on Sunday.
The battle surpassed his previous longest match in the first round of a Major, which was a three-hour-57-minute encounter against Gael Monfils at the US Open in 2005.
"I mean I had an amazing opponent tonight. For an 18-year-old he played so maturely and confidently on the court fighting through not giving up even when he was four down in the fourth set. Impressed with his mentality with his approach with his game," the Serb said.
Up next, the World No. 1 will take on either Marc Polmans or Alexei Popyrin in the second round of the Australian Open.