"I have nothing against Novak Djokovic, I just didn't understand the ATP and WTA rules" - Monica Puig clarifies statements questioning Serbian's ATP Finals qualification
Monica Puig, a former tennis player from Puerto Rico, explained her statements questioning Novak Djokovic's qualification for the ATP Finals.
Earlier, Puig joined a bevy of well-known faces in questioning the 21-time Grand Slam winner's qualification for the year-ending tournament in light of the 2022 Wimbledon women's singles champion Elena Rybakina not qualifying for the WTA Finals, which is currently underway in Fort Worth, Texas. Puig took to Twitter and wrote:
"I'm a bit confused as to tennis news | read today. So Djokovic qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin because he won Wimbledon (even though no raking points were awarded) but, Rybakina couldn't qualify for the WTA Finals also being a Wimbledon champion this year because no points were awarded."
Total confusion 🤔 https://t.co/shxF1IOvT4
Puig's claim was invalid, however, because the ATP and WTA have different entry requirements into the ATP and WTA Finals. A player who is ranked in the top 7 at the end of the season automatically qualifies for the ATP Finals. The eighth position is set aside for a player who won a Grand Slam tournament that year and is ranked between eighth and twentieth.
On the other hand, the top 8 singles players and top 8 doubles teams in the WTA rankings at year's end secure their spots in the finals.
Since Djokovic won a Grand Slam in 2022 (Wimbledon) and is ranked 7th in the world, it aided him to secure a spot in the ATP Finals. Meanwhile, Rybakina didn't qualify as she is ranked 21st in the world, despite winning the title at SW19.
Tennis history: the current qualification rules for the ATP Finals were devised in December 1999 as a compromise between the ATP and the ITF, which had been running its own year-end event called the Grand Slam Cup for a decade. https://t.co/d4wybPZYJv
Facing criticism as a result of her statements, Monica Puig took to Twitter once again to clarify that she had nothing against Djokovic and that she simply didn't realize the regulations for the ATP and the WTA were different.
"It’s the last I’m going to say on this matter because arguing with you all is exhausting. I have NOTHING against Djokovic. I’ve met him several times and I admire all his achievements. He qualified and that’s great! I just didn’t understand the ATP and WTA rules," Puig wrote.
It’s the last I’m going to say on this matter because arguing with you all is exhausting. I have NOTHING against Djokovic. I’ve met him several times and I admire all his achievements. He qualified and that’s great! I just didn’t understand the ATP and WTA rules.
She went on to add that she had been in "countless" meetings with the WTA CEO and board, seeking to make both tours similar, and she genuinely had no idea the rules were different.
"As a former WTA player I have been in countless meetings with the CEO and the board and have been in talks about the rules and trying to make the tours similar. The fact I didn’t know that the rules weren’t the same is just that! I didn’t know," Puig wrote.
As a former WTA player I have been in countless meetings with the CEO and the board and have been in talks about the rules and trying to make the tours similar. The fact I didn’t know that the rules weren’t the same is just that! I didn’t know.
Finally, the Olympic gold medalist advised the naysayers to leave her alone, saying that she had no intention of gaining likes and followers through this ploy.
"So stop coming for me. If you wanna unfollow me, that’s fine, I really don’t care. I don’t care about likes or anything for that matter… when you come for people the way you have for me, you make social media less enjoyable and more toxic. So.. have a nice Wednesday. Enough," Puig tweeted.
🏼So stop coming for me. If you wanna unfollow me, that’s fine, I really don’t care. I don’t care about likes or anything for that matter… when you come for people the way you have for me, you make social media less enjoyable and more toxic. So.. have a nice Wednesday. Enough ✌🏼
Novak Djokovic sets up 3R clash with Karen Khachanov at 2022 Paris Masters
Defending champion Novak Djokovic defeated Maxime Cressy in the second round on Tuesday to get his quest for a record-extending 39th Masters title underway.
The former World No. 1, who received a bye into the second round, defeated the American 7-6(1) 6-4. The 21-time Grand Slam champion has now won 10 matches in a row and will next go up against Karen Khachanov, who beat Marc-Andera Huesler in three sets.