'Witch-hunt against me' - Novak Djokovic finally responds to Adria Tour criticism
With the furor raised by Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour still raging on, the World No. 1 is back on his feet and ready to take on the world again. Djokovic is healthy again after his 14-day quarantine, and has resumed training at his Academy in Dorcol, Serbia.
The 33-year-old hit the practice courts and sparred with fellow Serb Viktor Troicki in Djokovic's own tennis facility. The two participated in a full-fledged training session, and they both looked in good shape.
Ever since Novak Djokovic tested positive for coronavirus and the ill-organized Adria Tour collapsed into chaos with several other players like Grigor Dimitrov, Viktor Troicki and Borna Coric also contracting the virus, the Serb has been slammed by the entire tennis community. And now in an interview with Serbian magazine Sportski Zurnal, Novak Djokovic has expressed his hurt at the 'malicious criticism' from all around over the last few days.
After his grand plans for the Adria Tour derailed mid-tournament, Novak Djokovic had apologized last week for his role and subsequently gone into a bit of a shell. But with the criticism refusing to stop, the Serb seems visibly perturbed at all the negativity surrounding his name.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion feels there has been a "witch-hunt" against him ever since the regretful events transpired.
"Lately all I've seen about me have been ruthless, very malicious criticism. It seems obvious to me that this responds to a strategy, to a kind of witch-hunt against me," Novak Djokovic said bluntly.
Novak Djokovic feels victimized by the media and fans in the current situation, and went on to imply that it was unfair for one 'great name' to be blamed for the disastrous Adria Tour.
"It is clear that when something happens, a person has to pay and it is interesting that some great name is to blame for everything," Djokovic said.
Novak Djokovic is unsure about his US Open participation
The Adria Tour fiasco has also led to several questions being raised about the US Open. The United States is heavily affected by the ongoing pandemic, and players like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic among others have expressed their uncertainty about participating in the New York Slam.
Now that he is out of his quarantine, Djokovic has reconfirmed his participation in the French Open and the tournaments in Madrid and Rome. However, the Serb added that he is still undecided about travelling to the Flushing Meadows.
If Djokovic is to participate in the US Open, he will be playing in the Cincinnati Masters as well. However, the World No. 1 is yet to take a call on these events.
“I can assure that I will not play the Washington tournament, while Cincinnati would be planned if I finally played the US Open, but I still do not know if I will be there...what is certain is that I will play Roland Garros, and I also have in mind, playing in Madrid and Rome, " Djokovic said.
Additionally, Novak Djokovic expressed his thoughts on the revised ranking system by the ATP, saying that the new rules were "correct".