Novak Djokovic arrived in New York last Saturday and was ready to compete at Cincinnati and the US Open for the next three weeks. The world number 1 came to the US without his family and a small group of people around him, led by one of his coaches, Goran Ivanisevic.
Novak will pursue the 18th major title in circumstances he has never experienced before and will be in the draw for his first major without Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer. The Spaniard decided to skip the New York trip and work on sand before Rome and Roland Garros.
Roger Federer is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury and is preparing his comeback for the beginning of 2021. Speaking of his decision, Djokovic admitted that he was on the verge of staying away from New York as he was aware of all the problems and risks that all off-field players must endure.
Novak Djokovic made a tough decision to come to New York
Unlike other players who will stay in the bubble, Novak has berated a house while complying with strict U.S. conditions and paying the approved security designed to ensure the Serb follows all instructions.
Competing in both singles and doubles in Cincinnati, Novak is looking to improve his form and prepare for the season’s second major in hopes of a similar result to the Australian Open.
At his last tournament of the season in February, the Serb won the title in Dubai and improved his perfect result to 18-0 in 2020 after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas. Djokovic led Serbia to the ATP Cup title, captured the eighth Australian Open crown in Melbourne and overtook Rafael Nadal to become number 1 in the world again.
In 2018, the Serb won crowns in Cincinnati and New York and was unable to keep them last summer after losing to Daniil Medvedev and Stan Wawrinka. In New York, Wawrinka had a 6: 4, 7: 5, 2: 1 advantage over Djokovic before the Serb was eliminated with a shoulder injury.
He never felt comfortable with the last major of the season and handed the trophy over to Rafael Nadal. “I was very close to not coming. There was a lot of uncertainty and there are still a lot of things that aren’t really clear.
I want to play, that’s why I’m here. Personally, I am not afraid of being in a risky, dangerous health situation. If I thought like that, I would most likely not be here.
I am cautious, of course, and have to be responsible and respect the rules, rules and restrictions like everyone else. Things are unpredictable; Anything can happen on or next to the tennis court, “said Novak Djokovic.
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