'When you play Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Djokovic...', says Top 10

The Australian Open 2021 is almost upon us, after the postponement in February to allow all players to carry out the two weeks of mandatory quarantine. The ATP Cup and the other tournaments scheduled in Melbourne have suffered a setback following the positivity of an employee who works in the hotel where the tennis players are hosted. This event resulted in the cancellation of the entire day on Thursday to allow all athletes to be able to undergo the swab. Barring further upheavals, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev will face each other tomorrow in a decisive Group A meeting as the two compete for a place in the semi-finals for their respective national teams. In a press conference during the ATP Cup, the world number 7 revealed his approach when facing Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, the three absolute rulers of the modern era. Zverev and Djokovic have met six times on the major circuit, with the world number 1 leading 4-2 on the head-to-head record.

Alexander Zverev on facing the Big 3

“I think generally when you play Novak Djokovic, you have to step up your game,” said Alexander Zverev in the interview. In the same interview, Alexander Zverev highlighted that it was necessary to step up one’s game while facing any of the ‘Big Three’. He mentioned that he would have said the same thing had he been facing Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer. “Same way when you play Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal,” added the US Open 2020 runner up. After the German tennis sensation Alexander Zverev, former Grand Slam champion Jim Courier has rallied in support of Novak Djokovic in the controversy over his letter to Tennis Australia. The World Number 1 wrote to Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley, seeking certain relaxations in strict quarantine rules in place ahead of the Australian Open. He demanded that fellow competitors, who were under hard lockdown without the option of practice after some crew members in their chartered flights tested positive for COVID-19, be shifted to private houses with tennis courts. Singing the same tune, Courier said that the collective outrage over Novak Djokovic’s letter to Tennis Australia was “misguided” , adding that it was a “miscarriage of justice”. Saying that the Serb’s detractors needed to put things into perspective, Courier, now a commentator and a television expert, said, “What’s really important to remember is that Novak didn’t need any of the things he was suggesting.”

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3aAeUY6