There was a chaotic start to the Australian tennis swing after world No.1 Novak Djokovic pulled out before later playing in an exhibition match at the ‘Day at the Drive’ event in Adelaide.
Confusion initially erupted when it emerged that the 17-time Grand Slam champion didn’t take to the court for his clash with Italian rising star Jannik Sinner. Instead, he was replaced in the match by compatriot Filip Krajinovic who took the opening set 6-3. However, after the opener Djokovic then decided to play in the event to the delight of what was a packed crowd at Adelaide’s Memorial Drive before clinching the second set 6-3.
Djokovic’s injury scare was down to a blister on his right hand that he didn’t want to risk making worse ahead of next week’s ATP Cup where Serbia are the defending champions. Speaking to Channel 9 during an on-court interview, Djokovic explains that his decision to play was ‘worth the risk’ as he paid tribute to the fans who attended the event.
“I’m sorry I didn’t step in, on the court, from the beginning. I had to do some treatment with my physio, I wasn’t feeling my best,” Djokovic told Channel Nine.
“It’s not easy, but it’s part of what we do. We learn over the years to play with the pain.
“It’s just a question and case of whether that pain is bearable or not, so obviously coming off from the hard training block and having [the] ATP Cup and Australian Open around the corner, you don’t want to risk it too much.
“But it was, the emotion was so strong in me to come out on the court today. Seeing almost full stands, I just had to play, that’s it. I had to play.”
Besides the blister-related drama, the one-day exhibition was packed with people cheering from the sidelines waving their signs. A rare sight the sport has seen in recent months due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has forced many tournaments to either scrap or dramatically reduce their crowd capacities. The most notable being the US Open which was held behind closed doors for the first time in history.
“We haven’t played in front of this amount of crowd for 12 months so this is something definitely very special,” said Djokovic.
“I appreciate everyone’s love and passion for this sport. Adelaide has a special place in my heart as well. I won my first ATP title here 14 years ago.” He added.
Unlike the majority of players, Djokovic was among a selected group who spent their quarantine in Adelaide in order to ease the flow of people travelling to Melbourne. Throughout the two weeks his hitting partner was Krajinovic who described the experience as ‘a pleasure.’
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Sinner has been staying in Adelaide as the hitting partner for Rafael Nadal. The Italian is currently the youngest player in the top 100 and won his maiden ATP title at the Sofia Open last November.
“For me it was a pleasure to play in front of a crowd,” said Sinner. “I’ve been missing that. It’s been a pleasure practising with Rafa for two good weeks. I can only thank him and his team.”
