“Tricky situation,” Prakash Amritraj unsure about Novak Djokovic getting exemption to participate in Indian Wells and Miami
Former American tennis professional Prakash Amritraj believes granting exemption to Novak Djokovic will not be an easy decision as his family members too will come into the picture making the same request.
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Prakash Amritraj, Novak Djokovic
Serbian tennis icon Novak Djokovic is once again facing the risk of restriction for his stand against vaccines. In January, the 22-time Grand Slam champion made a successful return Down Under clinching his 10th Australian Open title in style. But, moving forward his tennis calendar seems to get clouded with uncertainties as the issue comes back to haunt him.
Djokovic was expecting to compete in Indian Wells and Miami where he has won the tournaments multiple times. The title win in Australia reinforced his dominance over others in the 2023 season by reclaiming his top spot in the rankings. Nevertheless, last season’s story infamous hounding of Djokovic from various events seems to be repeating itself this year too.
Recenlty some reports came out that World No. 1 has applied for the exemption for himself to participate in the events but the situation remains outside his control. Prakash Amritraj, former tennis star, believes granting an exemption to Djokovic will be complicated because it does not concern the Serb only as his family members too will come into the picture.
“It becomes a tricky situation at that point. You know, if you excuse the great tennis player, then a lot of the family members and so forth who’ve been trying to get in, it’s a tricky situation, where do you make that call?” Amritraj noted.
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Amritraj acknowledges the damage to the events in the absence of Djokovic
Nothing is certain about Djokovic’s participation in the Sunshine Doubles events. But one thing is clear that Indian Wells and Miami Open will definitely lose some charm because of the absence of the World No. 1. As Djokovic has won the tournaments multiple times, leaving him off will diminish the competition rendering them a dull affair.
Amritraj shared the same sentiment. “If you just look at it from a tennis perspective, he’s sort of established himself as the best tennis player in the world,” he explained. “So, for all of us, it’s a huge shame not to have him at two of the biggest events that we have,” added former World No. 154.
After Amritraj, Paul Annacone, tennis coach, also joined in with similar feelings about Djokovic’s participation. “As a tennis fan, I want him here. As someone who looks at the world realistically, I don’t know how they let him in and don’t let everyone in then. That just doesn’t make sense,” he expressed.
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Abhinavendu Singh
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