By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, November 17, 2022
Rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic took disparate positions on the Coronavirus.
The iconic champions are on the identical web page with regards to Djokovic’s impending return to Australia.
Djokovic: I Could Not Have Received Better News
Asked his response to the Australian authorities reinstating Djokovic’s visa that may allow the 35-year-old Serbian to play the 2023 Australian Open, Nadal pointed to big-picture advantages of Djokovic’s return.
“I always said the same: tennis is better when the best players are on the court,” Nadal instructed the media in Turin at the moment after defeating Casper Ruud, 7-5, 7-5 in his last match of the season. “At the end we don’t have to create many stories. Even if was a big mess what happened last year in Australia, was not good for our sport. That was past.
“Roger isn’t taking part in any extra. I missed lot of Grand Slams for accidents. Last yr Novak was not in a position to play there. That’s previous. What’s subsequent is Novak will have the ability to play once more. That’s the most effective news potential, particularly understanding that now the virus is extra below management—appears—around the globe. So why not? Happy for him. Happy for the match. Happy for the followers. That’s it.”
Twenty-one time Grand Slam champion Djokovic will ride a 21-match AO winning streak into his Melbourne return with massive major history on the line. If Djokovic captures his 10th Australian Open title he will equal Grand Slam king Nadal with 22 major titles.
“Of course, I was very happy to receive the news yesterday,” Djokovic told the media in Turin. “It was a relief obviously knowing what I and people closest to me in my life have been through this year with what happened in Australia and post Australia obviously. I could not have received better news for sure – during this tournament as well.”
“I was very happy to receive the news yesterday. It was a relief obviously knowing what I and people closest to me in my life have been through this year with what happened in Australia and post Australia obviously. I could not receive better news for sure.”
Novak on Australia
— TennisNow (@Tennis_Now) November 16, 2022
“Did it affect my game today? I would like to believe it did,” Djokovic mentioned after elevating his round-robin file to 2-0. “Why not?”
Photo credit score: Mark Peterson/Corleve