'Novak Djokovic cares about the sport, but...', says American player

23-year-old American Reilly Opelka has won two career titles: the New York tournament in 2019 and the one in Delray Beach last February. Today number 39 in the world, it was also close to the top 30 in October 2019. Reilly Opelka recently spoke out in support of Novak Djokovic and the PTPA. The American believes the Serb is unjustly targeted by the media despite being a genuine well-wisher of tennis.

Opelka on Novak Djokovic

In his interview with Racquetmag, Reilly Opelka called the criticism meted out to Novak Djokovic 'frustrating'. “Yeah, I was on board (for PTPA),” Opelka said. “I think it’s a great move. I think that it was just frustrating for me to see a guy like Novak, that gets the negative press on things that aren’t true, right?” According to Reilly Opelka, Djokovic is a well-wisher of the sport who always keeps himself abreast with his colleagues' well-being. “He’s a really, really friendly guy," Opelka said. "At the US Open, he’s at the point now, every time he’s entering a Slam, he’s going for history, as the greatest of all time. And he doesn’t need to take the time to come up to me after a match, and just talk, and ask how my knee’s doing. It’s not common. It’s not like we grew up together - we’re in different generations. He’s very, very aware of the younger generations,” Opelka continued. “He’s very aware of a lot of the women’s players. He loves tennis. He cares about the sport." The American then made a rather startling revelation that he had been on the receiving end of death threats after some of his losses. “Yeah, I would, I would really like to see a push for that,” Opelka added. “That solves so many problems, if you regulate the gambling - which is going to happen no matter what - and they make a lot of money. I know, because every time I lose, I get all these death threats. And tennis is a very bet-upon sport and it goes on all year.” There is still a lot to build on; however, many players have happily joined the group. For now, Djokovic has started his preparations for the upcoming 2021 Australian Open. Unlike New York, there are rigorous regulations at Melbourne Park. Will Novak once again hail as the champion of Australia?

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/33LXipw