John Newcombe: Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal chase Grand Slams, not money

Former Australian world No. 1 John Newcombe says Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal don't play because of the money as their goal is to win the biggest titles. 

The season is set to resume on August 14 in Washington, while the US Open is scheduled to take place as initially scheduled from August 31 - September 13.

The United States Tennis Association is preparing a strict hygiene plan of how to keep players safe and minimize the risk of anyone involved contracting the coronavirus.

But some of the biggest names of the game -- including Djokovic and Nadal -- have expressed some reservations about this year's US Open. 

Just two weeks after the US Open final, the French Open is scheduled to kick off. 

Newcombe believes if one of the two top-ranked players commits to play the US Open, the second will follow.

"A lot of players would want to play to make the money. For Djokovic and Nadal, they're chasing Grand Slams. If one of them plays, the other one thinks 'well, I better play'," Newcombe told the Herald.

Making a switch from hard to clay won't be easy for anyone but Newcombe suggests record 12-time French Open champion Nadal could still benefit from playing at the US Open.

"I'm sure Nadal would like to play at the US Open, even if he doesn't win it. He needs to practice getting ready for the French," Newcombe added.

John Newcombe reacts to Kyrgios' comments 

Kyrgios called out Alexander Zverev for partying in Monaco while he was supposed to be self quarantine for 14 days after returning from the Adria Tour event in Zadar.

German tennis legend Boris Becker wasn't a fan of Kyrgios calling out Zverev and he called the Australian a "rat."

"Nick is Nick. The other guys are obviously stupid," Newcombe said. "I don't go out of my way to think about what Nick is thinking. You wouldn't know what he is going to come up with next but I think it's good that he's calling people out. If that's what he wants to do, that's good.

"I know when we were playing, if you had a problem you took it to the person. You didn't make it public. But it's a different world, I guess."

John Newcombe also won a total of seven Grand Slam titles in singles during his successful career.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2ApwfF2