No other player has gone through as much of a turbulent past five months than Novak Djokovic and still the world No.1 appears to be resilient as ever.
Just a couple of months ago the Serbian was embodied in controversy concerning the Adria Tour that he co-founded. The multi-national event was slammed by some for a lack of anti-COVID measures due to the pandemic with there being at times no social distancing in place. Although at the time in those countries, the tournament didn’t break any government rules. Then the worst happened with an outbreak of the coronavirus among both players and fans with Djokovic himself testing positive. Inevitably the event was scrapped and questions were left asking about if more should have been done.
Almost two months on from the Adria Tour, Djokovic says he would still be happy to host the event again if he had the chance despite the fallout. During an interview with The New York Times, he states that his intention was to promote tennis across the Balkan region. Although he admits that some aspects ‘could have been done differently’ without elaborating on what specific areas he is referring to.
“We tried to do something with the right intentions,” Djokovic told The Times. “Yes, there were some steps that could have been done differently, of course, but am I going to be then forever blamed for doing a mistake? I mean, OK, if this is the way, fine, I’ll accept it, because that’s the only thing I can do. Whether it’s fair or not, you tell me, but I know that the intentions were right and correct, and if I had the chance to do the Adria Tour again, I would do it again.”
This is not to say that the reigning Wimbledon and Australian Open champion isn’t taking the COVID-19 virus seriously. Prior to embarking upon New York, he has undertaken a series of tests to see if the virus has affected him in any way with all of them coming back negative. Some medical studies into COVID-19 have found that some still suffer from symptoms months after.
During the summer the 17-time Grand Slam champion was also accused of being against the idea of a compulsory COVID-19 vaccination for players if there was one in the future. In April he said he, ‘wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine in order to be able to travel.” Djokovic is well known for his enthusiasm for alternative medicine.
Although the term anti-vaxxer is one the tennis player doesn’t like to be associated with. He doesn’t shine away from casting doubts over these vaccines, but states that he is not against them.
“My issue here with vaccines is if someone is forcing me to put something in my body. That I don’t want. For me that’s unacceptable,” he said.
“I am not against vaccination of any kind, because who am I to speak about vaccines when there are people that have been in the field of medicine and saving lives around the world? I’m sure that there are vaccines that have little side effects that have helped people and helped stop the spread of some infections around the world.”
Still trying to shake off the controversy generated over the summer, Djokovic’s focus now lies upon the upcoming Western and Southern Open followed by the US Open. Prior to the Tour break, he started 2020 as the most in-form player in tennis. Winning three consecutive tournaments and 18 matches overall.
As the sole member of the Big Three in New York this year all eyes are on Djokovic. Rafael Nadal has pulled out due to health-related concerns linked to the pandemic and Roger Federer is not playing again this year following two knee surgeries. Glory at the US Open will move Djokovic to just two major trophies away from Federer’s all-time record.
“One of the reasons why I keep on playing professional tennis on this level is because I want to reach more heights in the tennis world,” he said.
Djokovic has won five out of the past seven Grand Slam tournaments.
