Novak Djokovic: 'Rafael Nadal didn’t want to risk his health and...'

World Number 1 Novak Djokovic looked in good shape during his first games in Cincinnati. The Serbian phenomenon seems to have already disposed of the rust accumulated during the long break and intends to be in top form when the US Open starts. It is useless to deny that the Belgrade veteran will be the big favorite at Flushing Meadows, where he can hope to grab his fourth title and 18 Grand Slam titles in his career. Thanks to the absences of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Nole will have to pay particular attention to youngsters, with Dominic Thiem representing perhaps the most dangerous obstacle. It will be interesting to see the progress of Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev, who will have to be good at handling even more pressure than usual. At a press conference in Cincinnati, Djokovic was asked to evaluate Nadal's decision to skip the North American swing.

Djokovic on Rafael Nadal

"I can understand why Rafael Nadal stayed in Europe. Unpredictable circumstances, he didn’t want to risk his health and that of his team. The new ranking system protects the players who make that kind of decision" - the 17-time Grand Slam champion. "His style of play, he is consistent and he doesn’t make many errors, he doesn’t drop his level. He is probably the most underrated player in the last five years and deserves more respect than he gets. His win over Medvedev reminded me of our match in Miami," Novak Djokovic said. Meanwhile, the main draw of the US Open was drawn on Thursday afternoon. Djokovic will make his debut against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, before most likely facing Briton Kyle Edmund in the second round and Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round. Third seed Daniil Medvedev also aims to capture his first major championship. Last year’s US Open finalist (l. to Nadal) begins against Federico Delbonis. Medvedev defeated Grigor Dimitrov in their US Open quarter-final clash last year and could meet the No. 14 seed once again in the fourth round. But the Bulgarian must first get revenge for this year's Australian Open defeat to Tommy Paul when they face off again in the first round. Eighth seed Matteo Berrettini might also await in the last eight and has plenty of positive memories to lean on after reaching his maiden Grand Slam semi-final here last year.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3gCNy4D