Novak Djokovic will decide “in the next few days” whether or not to join the US Open champion Rafael Nadal in withdrawing from this month’s tournament. If the world No 1 pulls out, the tournament, due to start on 31 August, will be considerably weakened, given five-times champion Roger Federer is resting after a second knee operation and several other leading players in both draws have withdrawn or expressed reservations about travelling to New York, with women’s world No 30 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova the latest player to join the list of absentees.
Meanwhile, Djokovic“still hasn’t made a decision in regard to his participation at the US Open”, Sasa Ozmo of leading Serb sports website
Sportklub tweeted. “Decision in the next few days.”
Even though the 33-year-old Serb trails Nadal by two career slams on 17, and is three behind Federer, who turns 39 on Saturday, he could yet forego the chance of a fourth US Open title and prepare instead for the French, where he completed his career slam of all the majors in 2016.
The conundrum for Djokovic and other players outside the United States is whether or not they will be asked to quarantine for two weeks when they return home. The United States Tennis Association said yesterday that the issue is not yet resolved.
Djokovic, who would start a strong favourite in New York, has won all 15 of his Tour matches in this disjointed season, including the Australian Open in February, and is said to have recovered from coronavirus after he and his wife, Jelena, contracted it during his doomed Balkans exhibition tour. But he shares Nadal’s concerns about travelling to such a volatile environment, despite stringent health precautions announced this week by the USTA.
Fresh restrictions include 24-hour surveillance of designated accommodation for players and their support groups, with expulsion among the penalties for those who break curfew. Djokovic, who travels with one of the biggest retinues in tennis, has objected to such strict requirements.
Other absentees from New York include the world No 1 Ashleigh Barty, Simona Halep and now Pavlyuchenkova in the women’s draw, and Barty’s compatriot, Nick Kyrgios. Alexander Zverev, the world No 7, is also doubtful. If Djokovic stays away, other contenders – including Andy Murray, Dan Evans and Kyle Edmund – will be torn between joining the exodus or trying for a more attainable prize.
from Gulf Times https://ift.tt/2PsbSLh
Comments
Post a Comment