Novak Djokovic opens up about the reason behind playing back-to-back exhibition games after ‘selective tournament participation’ stance
Novak Djokovic is set to prioritize longevity in the game over extended tournament participation for the rest of his career.
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World No. 4 Novak Djokovic has explained his decision to play two exhibition matches in 2024. The Serbian is set to participate in an exhibition in Sofia shortly after the Davis Cup, followed by another exhibition in Buenos Aires to close out the year.
Djokovic will face Grigor Dimitrov in Sofia and Juan Martin Del Potro in Buenos Aires. Del Potro, the Argentine tennis star, plans to bid farewell from the sport after his match with the former World No.1.
It is mostly because of the guys I'm playing with. Grigor came here to play Adria Tour, I never played in Bulgaria and DelPo is retiring with his exhibition match, very loveable guy, and it’ll be a phenomenal experience to be part of his farewell.Novak Djokovic said in his Davis Cup press conference
Djokovic’s Adria Tour, introduced in 2020, featured Dimitrov among the 14 players. However, the tournament faced heavy criticism after Dimitrov, Djokovic, and Viktor Troicki tested positive for COVID-19. The timing of the tournament was questioned by critics.
Del Potro, meanwhile, will see his painful professional career end in December. His last ATP tour match was against Federico Delbonis at the Argentina Open in 2022.
Novak Djokovic seals Davis Cup tie against Greece
Novak Djokovic and Hamad Medjedovic secured Serbia’s Davis Cup World Group 1 tie against Greece with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win in the doubles match. They faced Aristotelis Thanos and Petros Tsitsipas on Sunday (September 15) in Belgrade.
The Serbian duo served 13 aces and won 75% of their first-serve points, closing the match in two hours and 10 minutes. This victory came after Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic won their singles matches on Saturday.
With this win, Serbia advances to the 2025 Davis Cup Qualifiers, aiming to return to the Group Stage Finals. Serbia previously won the Davis Cup in 2010 by defeating France.
Medjedovic made his second Davis Cup appearance, having previously won against Norway’s Viktor Durasovic. The 21-year-old also won the NextGen ATP Finals last year and recently reached an ATP Challenger Tour final. Djokovic, currently ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, is working to regain his top form before the Nitto ATP Finals. However, it appears as though the Serb isn’t willing to prioritize ATP World Tour Finals qualification.
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Fahad Hamid
(647 Articles Published)