"He could have used the good publicity but he is within his rights to wait" - Jim Courier on Novak Djokovic's late withdrawal from Indian Wells
Jim Courier weighed in on Novak Djokovic's controversial last-minute withdrawal from the 2022 Indian Wells Masters in a recent interview. Courier admitted that the World No. 1 could have used the good publicity from announcing his decision sooner. But in the same breath, the American sided with Djokovic, saying that he was well within his rights to wait for as long as he saw fit.
Despite knowing that vaccine mandates in the USA would not allow him to enter the country, the Serb waited until after the draw was announced to publicly communicate his withdrawal. It's important to note that ATP 1000 entries are mandatory and players will only be removed from the draw after they confirm they cannot compete.
The Serb's move copped a lot of criticism from fans and pundits alike, with many pointing out that his late withdrawal made the tournament unbalanced. The 20-time Grand Slam champion's place in the draw was taken up by World No. 29 Grigor Dimitrov.
#2 Novak Djokovic waited until after the Indian Wells draw was made, but he has pulled out of Indian Wells and Miami.
The men's draw here will remain unbalanced as a result; #7 Rublev will be the highest seed in that bottom quarter.
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This meant that the highest-ranked player in the bottom quarter was World No. 6 Matteo Berretini. If the 34-year-old had withdrawn before the draw, Alexander Zverev would have been the second seed.
Touching on the subject in the latest episode of The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast, Courier noted that there was nothing unsurprising about the incident. The former World No. 1 opined that the Serb had made it very clear in the past that he was going to try his best to play as many tournaments as possible.
Courier declared that he personally would have withdrawn prior to the draw being made. This was a sentiment shared by many pundits as well. However, he did not think Djokovic did anything untoward.
"Novak Djokovic has been consistent in his approach. He is not going to get vaccinated, that is clear. He is going to use the rules that are available [and try to play as much as possible]. He is allowed to stay in the draw," Courier said. "I would have chosen, if I were him, to withdraw prior to the qualification rounds starting. I think he could have used the good publicity, but he is within his rights [to wait until the last-minute to withdraw]."
The 51-year-old claimed that Novak Djokovic was simply hoping that the health authorities would issue a policy change at the last minute.
"I think, in his heart of hearts, he was hoping there would be a change in policy and that he would be allowed to compete [in the Indian Wells Masters]," Courier said. "He wanted to give himself the best chance to try and compete."
During the podcast, Jim Courier also gave his two cents on the World No. 1's controversy in Australia at the beginning of the year. In an ordeal that lasted a couple of weeks, the 34-year-old was deported from the country after his visa was canceled by the Immigration Minister.
Courier brushed off the entire fiasco as a "political move" by the country's politicians looking for publicity, remarking that Djokovic should have never gotten himself into the "mess" in the first place.
"It didn't work in Australia. What happened in Australia screams of a political move by people looking for publicity," Courier said. "I don't think he should have even tried to get there, it became a mess."
Novak Djokovic will be back in action at the Monte-Carlo Masters
Novak Djokovic has played only one tournament in 2022 so far -- the Dubai Tennis Championships. The Serb progressed as far as the quarterfinals, before succumbing to a straight-sets loss against qualifier Jiri Vesely.
Wow.
Gael Monfils beats a world number 1 just for the 2nd time in his career (1st since 2009), defeating Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the last 16 in Indian Wells vs. Alcaraz.
Djokovic will return to the top of the rankings next Monday, 3 weeks after leaving the spot. https://t.co/fV1dxLi5h6
Courtesy of the loss, the 20-time Grand Slam champion surrended his World No. 1 position to Daniil Medvedev. But just three weeks later, he reclaimed the spot thanks to Medvedev's third-round loss against Gael Monfils at the 2022 Indian Wells Masters.
Djokovic def. Berdych 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. Novak has won Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo in 2015. http://t.co/b4iyhgPLdT
The next confirmed tournament in the 34-year-old's calendar is the Monte-Carlo Masters. Djokovic is a two-time winner in Monte-Carlo, having triumphed in the 2013 and 2015 editions. The World No. 1 is likely to participate at the French Open as well, while his presence in the Serbian Open has also been confirmed.