Novak Djokovic & Rafael Nadal have skewed views because they are rich: Patrick McEnroe
Novak Djokovic recently hinted that he might skip the US Open and instead resume his season on European clay, as he believes that the health crisis in America hasn't normalized yet. Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, was also quoted as saying that he doesn't want the New York Slam to be held unless players from all countries are able to participate.
These comments haven't sat well with tennis pundit Patrick McEnroe, who in a chat with Tennis.com said that Djokovic and Nadal are being short-sighted on the issue.
"I believe there should be a US Open" - Patrick McEnroe
Novak Djokovic believes a majority of the players are against the idea of the US Open taking place. "Most of the players I have talked to were quite negative on whether they would go there," the Serb had said.
However, a couple of players have come out and voiced their opposition to Novak Djokovic's stance in the days since. Most notably, Dan Evans and Danielle Collins asked Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to look at things from the perspective of the lower-ranked players, for whom the US Open would be a great opportunity to start making money again.
Now, former US Davis Cup Patrick McEnroe has expressed his agreement with the likes of Evans and Collins. McEnroe thinks the US Open should go on as scheduled, whether Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal participate or not.
“I think the idea of having a national tournament is a great one, if it can happen, but I believe there should be a US Open," Patrick McEnroe said.
The USTA recently proposed radical changes to the tournament, including no qualifying stage and reduced doubles draws, which would supposedly help in avoiding huge crowds at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center. McEnroe believes those measures should be tried out before dismissing the idea of holding the tournament altogether.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic's views are skewed: Patrick McEnroe
Patrick McEnroe believes that even if the organizers are very strict with the social distancing norms, there wouldn't be any shortage of players willing to duke it out at Flushing Meadows in August.
"I also believe the majority of the players will come," Patrick McEnroe said during his chat with Cindy Schmerler, confident that most players would like to return to action if given the option.
McEnroe then went on to deride Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic for thinking from a myopic point of view. The American feels that while the two superstars are in no urgent need of earning prize money, the same can't be said for the rest of the field.
"Don’t go by what Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic say. They’re the rich getting richer and their views are skewed," McEnroe said.
A few days ago, a virtual meeting was convened by the ATP to address the issues surrounding US Open, which is at the epicenter of the pandemic. Many of the players in attendance reportedly shared Novak Djokovic's sentiment of not wanting to travel to New York for the US Open, but the final verdict is yet to be announced.