Roger and Rafa are ‘LEGENDS’, without them, US Open will be void: Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is currently in New York, preparing for the Cincinnati Masters starting this Saturday. Moreover, the US Open begins on 31st August, where he would bid for his 4th US title and 18th Major overall. The World No.1 is a prime contender to win both the events, since Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will not be participating in them.

Before starting with the competition, the 33-year old Serb gave an exclusive interview to the New York Times. Djokovic talked on a host of topics from the Adria Tour controversy to the US Open without Federer and Nadal. He gave his honest opinions regarding all the news around him.

Nothing can be done about criticisms: Novak Djokovic

In June, Djokovic drew a lot of criticism when he organised the ill-fated Adria Tour in Belgrade amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Although, the tour ended just after it’s second leg as four other players including Novak got positive tests for the novel coronavirus.

However, the Serb doesn’t regret his decision, rather, he wants to organise the event again if ever he gets a chance.

“The intentions were right and correct. Yeah, some decisions could have been taken differently, but nothing to regret about. There is that blame game happening and all I can do is accept it and move on,” Djokovic said in the interview.

He further added, “If i get a chance to do the Adria Tour again, I will happily agree. According to me, no bad intentions were there. That doesn’t mean I don’t care of the people who got infected. But blaming an individual for the whole episode is just baffling. How can you find me guilty for each and every thing? Its just not done. To be honest, the whole thing is like a witch hunt.”

Will miss Roger and Rafa a lot: Djokovic

The seventeen-time Grand Slam champion then talked about this year’s US Open. He said that playing the US Open without the legends Federer and Nadal will be extremely disappointing. “It is strange to play a Grand Slam without legends like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. With or without crows, hands down, they will be missed a lot,” said Djokovic.

Novak further explained why he decided to come New York despite the prevalent condition in America. “One of the reasons I want to continue playing tennis is the hunger to achieve more. I am afraid to say that it is not the main reason but surely it’s one of them. The primary responsibility is being selfish and think about my health and whether my team is fine. After checking up all this, I felt that being a top player, I am required to be here. At the end, our sport must keep going whatever the challenges it face,” Djokovic signed off.

Novak Djokovic has now fully recovered from coronavirus and is practicing in full flow in New York. He will take part in Cincinnati in singles as well as in doubles. Both Cincinnati and US Open will be played at the same venue after taking into consideration the effect of the pandemic.

We hope that the Serb’s play hasn’t got affected due to the long break and wish him the best in the upcoming tournaments.

Also Read: Novak Djokovic has the experience, but this time it’s different: Boris Becker