Novak Djokovic on US return: does he regret the last two years?
Novak Djokovic says he is very happy and excited to be back in the United States but stresses he has “zero regrets” over the reason he was unable to play US tournaments for two years.
This week in Cincinnati, Djokovic officially started his first tournament on American soil since the 2021 US Open. In 2022, Djokovic missed all US tournaments because he was denied entry to the country as an unvaccinated alien.
Earlier this year, Djokovic also missed the Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami for the same reason. In May, the US confirmed a change to its COVID-19 guidelines and Djokovic is now allowed to enter the country as an unvaccinated alien.
Djokovic is happy to return to the US but has no regrets
“In my life, I’ve really developed this kind of mindset that I don’t look back on things with regret.
Things that happen outside, the reason I haven’t been here for two years, I have zero regrets. I’m glad to be back. I’ve had a lot of success on American soil. I am very happy to return to the country after two years; I am very grateful for all the love that people show me”, said Djokovic in Cincinnati.
This week, Djokovic plays in the city of Cincinnati for the first time since 2019. In 2020, the Cincinnati Masters in bubble concept was held in New York – Djokovic won the title that year. On Wednesday, Djokovic started his singles campaign in Cincinnati when he led 6-4 over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina when the Spaniard retired from the match due to injury.
“Time flies. Four years seems like yesterday. So it’s definitely nice to be back. I have some really nice memories from that tournament. Of course, winning in 2018 is a highlight for me because it was the only Masters I hadn’t won in years.
I think I usually have four or five finals against Roger [Federer] lost. But I’ve played well in the past and I was really happy to have the chance to come back to the States. It’s been two years.
I missed it. Some of the biggest tournaments in our sport are played on American soil. I’m just looking forward to playing tennis,” said Djokovic.
2023-08-19 16:16:11
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