Novak Djokovic: "I’m not using Dubai as a residence"

By winning the Dubai tournament against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Novak Djokovic has extended his unbeaten record this year by bringing him to 18 consecutive wins (21 if you also count the Davis Cup Finals). In 2011, the Serbian champion won 43 matches in a row before surrendering to Roger Federer in the Roland Garros semifinal.

The World number 1 also received a 10-year gold card residency visa from the United Arab Emirates. “I’m not using Dubai as a residence, but one day if I ever decide to do that, I think that’s going to give me I guess an easier way to establish myself as a resident, as I understood. I’m not really yet sure about all the benefits and privileges of that honor. I am grateful because I’ve been now friends for years with His Highness, Fazza if I can call him that way.

I want to thank him for allowing me to train in his facility for the years I’ve been coming to Dubai. The golden visa is, I like to think, a positive consequence of the relationship that we had, as well, alongside other big athletes like Ronaldo, Federer. I’m honored to be in that group.

Dubai has been a very important city in my career. Not just because of the tournament, but because I’ve been actually coming as a tourist here and using this as a base for pre-season training. I really enjoy it. I can’t wait to come back again. If you ask my children, they’ll probably be even more excited to come back to Dubai" - he said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2PFfcDt