Olga Danilovic: "Novak Djokovic is my idol"

Olga Danilovic is certainly one of the players to keep an eye on in 2021. The young Serbian player has started the season in the best way and she has won the pass for the main draw of the Australian Open thanks to three victories in the qualifying tournament.

In an exclusive interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Danilovic talked about her relationship with Italy, and in particular with the city of Bologna, where her father Sasha lived for many years. The tennis player born in 2001 is in fact the daughter of Sasha Danilovic, the former basketball player who made the history of Virtus Bologna, played in the NBA and won a silver medal in Atlanta 1996.

Danilovic, from her bond with Italy to the advice received from Djokovic

"For us it's always a special place, for him it's like a second home. We were there together when they collected his black jersey with number 5. Creepy." Explained Olga. "First of all, Sasha is my dad. He has always been close to me in everything, not just in sports.

Obviously, growing up with an extraordinary athlete, knowing what he has done in his life is a great added value for me and my brothers. He taught me that without work and application you can't go anywhere."

Danilovic shares a wonderful friendship with Novak Djokovic. The 17-time Grand Slam champion, right during the preseason, also tried to help her in the development of the game. she.

"My idols? Monica Seles because she was born in my country and is left-handed, like me. And Nole, well I don't think we need to explain why. She is an example, on and off the court, for technical advice and more. And every little indication that comes from him is priceless." Danilovic is looking forward to playing in Melbourne and restarting stronger than before.

Meanwhile as reported on the Australian website The Age, it is difficult to avoid the impression that tennis players come here at the expense of Australians stranded abroad and exposed to the pandemic. It's also odd that Victoria could find places for tennis stars as her residents are stranded in NSW and Queensland due to its harsh border closures.

Health Minister Martin Foley said he understood the frustration of the Victorians stranded in Sydney or Brisbane, which are still considered red zones by the state government, but he didn't want to risk another outbreak in the state of Victoria.

He said: "I apologize for the dislocation this has caused, but I don't apologize for the principle of keeping Victoria safe and keeping Victoria open. More than 70,000 Victorians are trying to go home with the new state traffic light system, with thousands still stranded in NSW under current restrictions. While Victoria reopened on Monday at NSW regional, Greater Sydney remains a red zone from which people can only travel with an exemption," the minister explained.

Now it was confirmed that three out of 10 people who tested positive for the swab while inside the Australian Open bubble contracted the UK's most virulent strain of COVID-19.

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