Novak Djokovic is about to reappear on the circuit to play the Dubai tournament, category 500. The Serbian will thus officially start his season, after not being able to play the Australian Open . With number one at stake in the coming days, the Belgrade player has warned that after everything that has happened he has “additional motivation to be better than ever.”
“I cannot say that things will be the same when I return to the field, surely this situation will influence my return,” said Novak Djokovic, a few days after officially debuting in the season with his participation in the Dubai tournament, category 500 The tennis player was expelled from Australia last January, so he could not play the Australian Open . Now he is also facing missing several tournaments for his position of not being vaccinated against the coronavirus, a requirement required to enter some countries or play certain tournaments.
“I have additional motivation and inspiration to go out on the court and play better than ever. Nothing is guaranteed, but I am glad for the opportunity and I really want to play in Dubai », assured Djokovic , who will not only seek the title in the emirate but also has to try to maintain the number one in the ATP, with a Daniil Medvedev very well positioned to take the job from him.
Djokovic: “I keep my mind open and I am not exclusive”
Although Djokovic has assured that he will not be vaccinated even if it is difficult for him to give up several titles, in his latest statements with Serbian television RTS , the one from Belgrade has now left the door open to receive the vaccine in the future. “I keep my mind open and I am not exclusive. Everything in life is possible. We will see how the situation evolves. Now I have decided not to get vaccinated and I am willing to accept the consequences. It is a decision that I have made consciously and I came to the conclusion that it was the best for me, “he said.
Djokovic is aware that he is exposed to being left out of many tournaments on the circuit for not being vaccinated, a situation that he accepts although he hopes that the measures will be relaxed. «I would like to play many tournaments, but at the moment I am in a situation that does not depend on me. It just depends on the rules of the countries that hold the tournaments. At this moment I know that I can play in Dubai and that is my next challenge. I have trained hard and of course I am looking forward to competing in the Grand Slams and the big ATP tournaments. The rules are constantly changing, I am open-minded and do not exclude anything,” he said.
Asked if he saw the Australian Open final , Djokovic assured that he preferred not to see it, but that he did see some part of the match between Daniil Medvedev and Rafa Nadal. “I didn’t want to watch the Australian Open final, but I watched it with my wife and son. I didn’t watch the whole game. I did not support Rafa or Medvedev because I wanted to play the final and not watch it on television,” he confessed.
In addition, he revealed that he exchanged messages with the Russian tennis player afterwards. « Medvedev is a great guy with whom I have always had a good relationship. I helped him a lot when he was a junior and we trained a lot then. Once we flew to the Davis Cup and I offered him to come with me, and he still appreciates it even though we are great rivals. He wrote to me 45 minutes after the final in Australia , and that surprised me. I congratulated him on a great battle. I saw myself in Medvedev because I’m like that too,” he concluded.
