“There are bound to be memorable fifth sets” Novak Djokovic gives his take on the new tie-break rule in Grand Slams
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Novak Djokovic
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is back in action as he is prepared to play at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters seeded first going for his 3rd tournament title and a record-extending 38th Masters title. This will be just his second tournament of the season having earlier made his season debut at the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships.
With the Grand Slams coming together to make a uniform rule for tie-breakers starting from the 2022 French Open, there have been mixed emotions over the decision. The new rule will see a 10-point tiebreaker at 6-6 in the fifth set thereby seeing shorter matches that will be helpful for players as the matches can then go for long hours taking a physical toll on their bodies.
Djokovic was also asked about his opinion on the decision during the Media Day at the Monte Carlo Masters as this was his first press conference at a tournament since the decision was announced. Having played some of the memorable 5-set thrillers in the history of Grand Slams, Novak was happy to welcome the new decision showing support to the Grand Slam authorities.
“There are bound to be memorable fifth sets in the history of the Grand Slams, the one between Isner and Mahut immediately comes to mind because it is the longest of all. This one is inscribed in gold letters in the history of tennis. Many remember this match which aroused a lot of interest in our sport among a wider audience, coming from other sports for example. But in a bigger perspective, I agree with the fifth set tie‐break, I support this decision from all Grand Slams,” said Djokovic.
Novak Djokovic to take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Djokovic will start his campaign in Monte-Carlo in the second round and will be taking on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina who comes into the clash with a straight-set win over Marcos Giron. It will be the third meeting between the two with Novak winning both of the previous meetings in straight-sets.
However, with Novak saying it openly that he will find it difficult to play at his very best due to his absence from the court for so long, it will be interesting to see if the Spaniard can defeat the World No. 1 in what will be one of the most crowd seeking matches of the tournament as the 20-time Grand Slam winner returns to the sport.
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)