By Emil Evitmov
The Serbian will be the only one from the Big Three to play at Flushing Meadows.
World No.1 Novak Djokovic confirmed his participation at the both tournament to be played in New York – The Western & Southern Open and US Open. The Serbian name was in the entry list for the events but until now he was considering his arrival in the USA given the COVID-19 pandemic, the protocols in regard to the players and the possibility of having to quarantine when going back to Europe.
However, these concerns have recently been eased following an announcement by the Italian government. Italy will hold the next Masters 1000 event two weeks after the US Open ends.
Djokovic says “it was not an easy decision to make with all the obstacles and challenges on many sides, but the prospect of competing again makes me really excited.”
This way Djokovic is going to be the only one from the Big Three to play at the US Open. His participation is a big news for the organizers given that Roger Federer is out for the year because of his injury and Rafael Nadal recently announced his decision not to travel to New York because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stan Wawrinka and Nick Kyrgios are the other big names to miss the US Open, as well as some of the best players on the women’s tour such as Ash Barty, Kiki Bertens andElina Svitolina.
Djokovic will arrive in New York on Saturday, August 15. The Western & Southern Open will be played at Flushing Meadows 22-28 August, followed by the US Open, which begins 31 August. Both tournaments will be played without fans in attendance.
The Serbian is the winner in five of the last six Grand Slam tournament. He is third in the all-timetable with his 17 Grand Slam titles, less only to Federer with 20 and Nadal with 19.
The 2020 season started with 18 wins in a row for the Belgrade born player. He claimed the titles at the ATP Cup, Australian Open and Dubai Tennis Championships before the five-month break due to the pandemic.
Here are his words announcing the decision to play in the USA:
“I am happy to confirm that I will participate at the Western & Southern Open and US Open this year. It was not an easy decision to make with all the obstacles and challenges on many sides, but the prospect of competing again makes me really excited. During my career, I have played some of my best matches at the USTA Billie Jean King National tennis center. I am aware that this time around it will be very different with all the protocols and safety measures that are put in place to protect players and people of NY.
Nevertheless, I have trained hard with my team and got my body in shape so I am ready to adapt to new conditions. I’ve done all the check-ups to make sure I am fully recovered and I am ready to get back on court fully committed to playing my best tennis. I respect and appreciate everyone taking time, effort, and energy to organize these two events for the tennis players to be able to go back to their working field. Unfortunately for the players and the game itself, the current situation is not allowing everyone to travel and compete at the same level of risk, and I hope the situation will change soon and we will all be back to doing what we love and do best.”
