Novak Djokovic faced a sudden fall in his rankings this season. Not because of his performance but because of his strong stand on keeping himself unvaccinated. Last year’s almost Calender Grand Slam winner couldn’t participate in two majors this time around. After having to walk out of the Australian Open, the Serbian ace had to withdraw from the US Open as well.
However, he isn’t bitter about the turn of events. The 21-time Grand Slam champion has moved past the fourth US Open title dream and is enjoying the ongoing Laver Cup. Here’s what he had to say about the same.
Does Novak Djokovic regret his decision?
When asked about his feeling regarding not having a chance to compete for the title at American Grand Slam, Djokovic said, “No, I don’t have any regrets. I mean, I do feel sad that I wasn’t able to play. But this was the decision that I made and I knew what the consequences will be so I accepted them and that’s it.”
“I’m not used to making obviously last 15-20 years longer breaks between the tournament. But it is what it is. I am just excited to play here now and most of the other indoor season for the rest of this season,” he added. Djokovic is currently taking part in the fifth edition of the Laver Cup.
The big four, namely Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, will play together for Team Europe. This will be the first and last time the big four will grace the indoor hard courts of O2 arena. Earlier this month, the swiss legend, Roger Federer, announced his decision to hang his racket post this event.
Further apart from them, the French Open and US Open finalist Casper Ruud, former World no.3 Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini, will also be in the shuffle for Team Europe. For Team World, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock will compete.
Djokovic to return to Grand Slam action at the Australian Open
The 35-year-old, after fighting a long legal battle with the Aussie government, incurred a ban of three years. Though as per the new ruling body of the nation, keeping the tournament’s nine time champion out will only hamper the standard it offers.
Therefore, amendments in accordance with Djokovic‘s unvaccinated self have been made. The former World no.1 will have to file a request and the Australian hard courts will welcome their record champion once again.
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