Players need to play and make money: Novak Djokovic on the restart of the tennis season
Novak Djokovic became world tennis' pantomime villain after his controversial Adria Tour came to an abrupt end during its second stage in Zadar, Croatia.
The event, which was hosted and funded by Novak Djokovic and members of his family, was controversial from the beginning. There were packed stadiums and no visible social distancing, and at one point the players were even seen dancing in a nightclub in Belgrade with their shirts off.
All of this inevitably led to disaster, as Borna Coric, Grigor Dimitrov, Viktor Troicki and Novak Djokovic - as well as Zadar tournament director Gora Ivanisevic - tested positive for COVID-19. All the players, including Djokovic, gave extensive apologies on their social media accounts, but that didn't stop the brickbats from flowing freely.
There have since been calls for the Serb to resign as president of the ATP Player Council, a position he has held since 2016. But amid the coronavirus debacle, the World No. 1 has played a crucial role in helping out the lower-ranked players and also in formulating the revised ranking system for the 2020 season.
Now, the Serb has come to the defence of the ATP and various organizers for wanting to host tournaments during the pandemic.
I welcome the wish to organize tournaments again, says Novak Djokovic
In an interview with Serbian daily newspaper Sportski, Novak Djokovic spoke about how he understands the desire of tournament organizers across USA and Europe to try and host tournaments during this difficult time. He explained that the sport - including the event owners and players - has its own financial problems, which can only be mitigated through on-court action.
"I welcome the fact that there is an effort and a commitment around the world, in particular in the United States and in Europe, to organize tournaments despite the great crisis, health, economic, security," Djokovic said.
"I support the wish of the American Federation to organize tournaments in Washington, Cincinnati and the US Open because it is very important for the survival of many tennis professionals," the Serb added. "As in any field, we have many economic difficulties."
Novak Djokovic had earlier announced that he was excited for the US Open to take place in August. He has in the days since expressed reservations about playing the tournament and travelling to New York, but he is aware that he is one of the privileged few who can afford to skip a Slam.
"Personally, I don't have the kind of pressure that others have, I speak only from my own point of view. But I also understand that the vast majority of them need to play and make money," said the President of the ATP Player Council.