“I do not agree” Novak Djokovic reiterates that a ban on players based on nationality is ‘not fair’
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Novak Djokovic
Wimbledon announced the ban on Russian and Belarusian players for the war crimes of the two nations on Ukraine and there was a big split in the tennis world regarding the decision of whether the players, who have no part in this tragedy should be punished. The ATP and WTA also felt that the ban was too big of a step, so to force Wimbledon to reverse its decision, they stripped the Championship of the ranking points, but it was of no use as Wimbledon didn’t budge and now many players will be affected by this huge decision by the tennis federations.
Many tennis players, including the six-time Wimbledon champion, Novak Djokovic, and the 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal had also expressed their opposition to the decision by Wimbledon. Though both of them arrived in London to play for the title, Djokovic would still fall from his current ranking of world number 3, even if he wins the title at SW19. But this might be Djokovic’s only shot at the Grand Slam title in 2022 as he was deported from Australia and lost to Rafa at the French Open, and US Open seems unlikely, so he would try to give it his all to keep pace with Rafa in the Grand Slam race.
Novak Djokovic feels that the ban issue is a very sensitive one.
Djokovic talked about his stance in the press conference before he kicks off the proceedings on Monday. He said, “I understand the frustration of the Ukrainian people towards Russia and what is happening. As a child of war, I know what it feels like. On the other hand, I do not agree with banning Russian tennis players from competing indefinitely. I don’t see how they’ve contributed to anything that’s going on. It’s a very sensitive issue.”
He also accepted that outside opinion of the matter might be frowned upon, but he still doesn’t agree with Wimbledon’s stance. He said: “Anything you say as a person coming from one country or another is going to be judged one way or another. I understand both sides, but banning them from playing is not fair.”
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Prateek Sinha
(365 Articles Published)