Novak Djokovic: 'The first thing I'm gonna do on Friday morning...'

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem are quarantining in Adelaide, unlike all the other players in Melbourne. The unequal treatment and the privileges reserved for the Top 3 of the male ranking have exacerbated the controversy in recent days, also due to the positive cases that emerged on charter flights to Australia. As many as 72 players were placed in solitary confinement without the possibility of training for two weeks and the attempt by the world number 1 to ask for a relaxation of the restrictive measures was useless. The Serbian phenomenon will be one of the protagonists of the ATP Cup together with his Serbia, which won the first edition of the event that took place last year. Speaking on the radio show 'Mix 102.3', the 17-time Grand Slam champion made some quarantine considerations before heading to Melbourne for the first major of the season.

Djokovic on the 2021 Australian Open

"Just freedom," Novak Djokovic replied when asked what he was looking forward to once his quarantine period ends. "The first thing I'm gonna do on Friday morning, I'm just gonna run straight to the park and I'm just gonna spend an hour there. I miss being free and being able to walk around." At the same time however, Novak Djokovic feels extremely fortunate compared to some of his fellow players in Melbourne. "(There have been) quite a few kids with their families coming these days in front of the balcony, playing tennis and from my country and also from Australia," Novak Djokovic said. "Honestly, it's been a wonderful experience so far for me being in quarantine. It's been different, obviously. No one likes to be locked up in a room for 14 days but at the same time we have been very fortunate compared to the guys in Melbourne. Getting more hours outside and on the court and having a balcony and some fresh air. So I can't complain." The Australian Open 2021 is less than three weeks away, but clouds of uncertainty are still looming large over the Grand Slam. The first Major of the year suffered a major setback due to COVID-19 again, and the virus is just not letting tennis get back to its normal schedule. Recently, three people linked to the Australian Open 2021 tested positive for a new mutant strain of COVID-19. Two of the three people who have tested positive are in their thirties, while the remaining one is in his fifties. All three of them are males and have been infected with a UK mutant coronavirus strain.

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