Tag: Novak Djokovic

MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic is eager to play at the Australian Open but it’s up to him to “work out the situation” with the government, tournament chief Craig Tiley said Wednesday, while confirming Russians and Belarusians can compete as neutrals.

This year’s championship was overshadowed by an unvaccinated Djokovic being deported from Australia on the eve of the Grand Slam after a high-stakes legal battle over his visa status.

The nine-time champion from Serbia is currently serving a three-year ban from entering Australia.

It can be overturned at the discretion of the centre-left government, which is different to the conservative coalition in power when he was kicked out. But they have given no indication of whether they would consider this.

Tiley said he spent time with Djokovic recently and the Serbian wanted to return for the first major of the year in January in Melbourne.

“What we’re saying at this point is that Novak and the federal government need to work out the situation. And then we’ll follow any instruction after that,” Tiley told The Age newspaper at the tournament’s official launch.

“I did spend some time with Novak at the Laver Cup. We spoke generally. He said that he’d obviously love to come back to Australia but he knows it’s going to be an ultimate decision for the federal government.

“He’s accepted that position. It’s a private matter between them.”

Opposition politician Karen Andrews, who was home affairs minister when Djokovic was deported, told ABC radio he should not be given special treatment.

“It would be a slap in the face for those people in Australia who did the right thing, got vaccinated, did everything they needed to do if all of a sudden Novak Djokovic is allowed back into the country simply because he is a high-ranking tennis player with many millions of dollars,” Andrews said.

Tiley added that he anticipated no restrictions on players from countries involved in the Ukraine conflict, in contrast to Wimbledon this year, which banned them from competing.

“At this point, Russian and Belarusians will be eligible to play at the Australian Open,” he said.

“The only difference will be that they cannot represent Russia, cannot represent the flag of Russia, cannot participate in any activity such as the anthem of Russia and have to play as independent players.”

Organisers are targeting a record 900,000 spectators at the 2023 event, with one million fans as the ultimate goal.

Tiley said the previous attendance record was an estimated 820,000 people, with ticket pre-sales already strong.

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ASTANA: Novak Djokovic cruised into the quarter-finals of the ATP tournament in Astana on Thursday with a crushing 6-3, 6-1 win over Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.

The 71-minute demolition of the world number 34 follows his 64-minute 6-1, 6-1 thrashing of Cristian Garin on Wednesday.

Former world number one Djokovic, who collected his 89th career title in Tel Aviv last weekend, extended his winning streak to six matches with a ruthless display.

“I think my serve worked very well when I needed to get out of trouble in the first set particularly,” said Djokovic, who has not dropped serve in his past three matches.

“There were some 30/30 games, and when I broke his serve for 4-2, I faced a break point and I came in, and he had a look at that passing shot and he missed it.

“The match is decided in these moments.”

The 35-year-old Serb had a small scare in the opening set, complaining of pain in a nail which required the intervention of the physiotherapist.

The early exchanges were well contested with van de Zandschulp threatening to give Djokovic a serious workout.

But 21-time major winner Djokovic kept his composure and built his game on the accuracy of his service, achieving an 84 percent first-serve success in the first set and offering up just two break point chances in the match, both of which he saved.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Djokovic has now reached the quarter-finals in eight of the nine tournaments he has played in 2022.

He next faces world number 18 Karen Khachanov on Friday as he continues his push for his 90th title and presses for a place in the ATP Finals.

Seventh-ranked Djokovic only needs to finish the season in the top 20 to make sure of a place in the season-ending showpiece.

Khachanov, who reached the semi-finals of the US Open, earlier prevailed 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 against ninth seed Marin Cilic, the player who lost to Djokovic in the Tel Aviv final.

Former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev made the last eight with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-2 win over Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland.

Second seeded Medvedev and Djokovic will meet in the semi-finals should they both come through their last-eight assignments.

Medvedev, however, must first get past Roberto Bautista Agut on Friday.

The Spanish veteran boasts a 4-1 career lead over former world number one Medvedev.

The other quarter-finals see third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas tackle Hubert Hurkacz while Andrey Rublev faces Adrian Mannarino.

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ASTANA: Novak Djokovic brushed aside Chile’s Cristian Garin 6-1, 6-1 in 64 minutes on Wednesday as he breezed into the second round of the Astana Open.

Coming off his 89th career title in Tel Aviv last weekend, Djokovic broke an overmatched Garin five times to continue his push for a place in the season-ending ATP Finals.

“From the start to the end, (it was) a great performance,” said Djokovic.

“Playing in a new tournament, different conditions, the first match is never easy. Obviously, you are looking to see how you are going to adapt, but I did it perfectly, really, played as well as I can.”

The Serb is the only player to win ATP tournaments on clay, grass and hard courts this year. He will play Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp for a place in the quarter-finals.

“Coming into this tournament I feel confident, I feel excited, I feel motivated, so I think that helps as well to adjust quickly,” added Djokovic.

Third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas ended the run of Italian qualifier Luca Nardi, advancing 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/3). He goes on to face Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik or Hubert Hurkacz.

Andrey Rublev, seeded fifth, defeated China’s Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-2 in his second-round match.

Rublev meets Adrian Mannarino next after the Frenchman put out David Goffin, who shocked world number one Carlos Alcaraz in the opening round.

Roberto Bautista Agut beat lucky loser Pavel Kotov 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) and could play Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals.

Marin Cilic, the runner-up to Djokovic in Tel Aviv, won his opener 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 against Germany’s Oscar Otte.

Switzerland’s Marc-Andrea Huesler, who won his first ATP title in Sofia last week, was dumped out by Emil Ruusuvuori 6-0, 6-2.

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PARIS: Former men’s world number one Novak Djokovic said he will not play in the US Open which begins on Monday as Covid protocols mean he cannot travel to the United States.

It is the second Grand Slam the 35-year-old Serb will miss due to not being vaccinated as he was deported prior to the Australian Open earlier this year.

“Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open,” tweeted Djokovic, a three-time US Open champion.

Djokovic’s announcement, which was widely anticipated, came hours before the draw for the final slam of the season — organisers announced he would be replaced by a lucky loser from qualifying.

Stacey Allaster, US Open Tournament Director, regretted his absence.

“Novak is a great champion and it is very unfortunate that he will be unable to compete at the 2022 US Open, as he is unable to enter the country due to the federal government’s vaccination policy for non-U.S.citizens,” she said in a statement.

“We look forward to welcoming Novak back at the 2023 US Open.”

Tennis legend John McEnroe has blasted the Djokovic ban as a “joke”

“At this point, in the pandemic, we’re two and a half years in, I think people in all parts of the world know more about it, and the idea that he can’t travel here to play, to me is a joke,” said McEnroe.

Ironically, during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, Djokovic was allowed to compete at New York where he was champion in 2011, 2015 and 2018.

He has not played since securing a seventh Wimbledon title last month which took him to 21 Grand Slam victories, one short of Rafael Nadal’s record of 22.

Only last month, Djokovic said he was “preparing to play” in the US Open where a traumatic defeat in last year’s final at the hands of Daniil Medvedev dashed his hopes of a Grand Slam sweep of the four majors.

Djokovic signed off his tweet saying he hoped to be back soon.

“Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again.

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LONDON: The top Serbian seed and reigning Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic confirmed on Friday that he will join Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray in Team Europe for the upcoming fifth edition of Laver Cup 2022.

Djokovic, fresh from capturing his seventh Wimbledon title earlier this month here, will be returning to compete in the fifth Laver Cup, scheduled in September.

The former top-ranked Tennis player will be seen in action here after the second edition, held in Chicago.

The Big 4 are in for London. Djokovic will join Nadal, Murray and Federer as teammates to defend the Laver Cup on Team Europe at The O2. pic.twitter.com/VoMFTBLsM3

— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) July 22, 2022

 

The 21-time Grand Slam champion claimed that he is ecstatic to be joining Team Europe which features his usual rivals Federer, Nadal, and Murray.

“I’m really excited to be joining Team Europe again for the Laver Cup at London’s O2 arena in September,” Djokovic stated.

“It’s the only competition where you can play in a team environment with guys that you’re normally competing against and to be joining Rafa, Roger and Andy – three of my biggest all-time rivals – it’s going to be a truly unique moment in the history of our sport,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that Laver Cup, named after the Australian tennis legend Rod Laver, is played on a dramatic black court. The three-day team competition pits six of the best players from Europe against six of their counterparts from the rest of the World.

Team Europe are yet to fill in two more spots in their line-up whilst Team World so far consists of Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, America’s Taylor Fritz and Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman.

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BELGRADE: The top Serbian seed Novak Djokovic, who edged past Nick Kyrgios in a four-set victory to claim his seventh overall and fourth consecutive Wimbledon title on Sunday is likely to miss the forthcoming US Open, scheduled next month.

Former top-ranked Tennis player Djokovic, who was deported from Australia in January and could not defend his title following his stance on vaccination status, is likely to miss another grand slam.

As the 35-year-old has profusely refused to get vaccinated a number of times, is unlikely to partake in the forthcoming grand slam as the Wimbledon champion may not be allowed in the country, while is hoping for positive news.

“At the moment I can’t go to the United States, I’m hoping for positive news, but there’s not a lot of time, I don’t know, hope springs eternal,” he told Serbian broadcasters RTS.

“I’d like to play the US Open but if it doesn’t happen it’s not the end of the world, nor the first Grand Slam I have to withdraw from.

“It’s important to me to stay healthy, physically and mentally, so I can still play for a long time and the chances to do so will certainly come,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that Djokovic, with his seventh Wimbledon title, has inched closer to the Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the list of most grand slam titles. The Spaniard tops the list with 22 titles, while the Serb is just one away with 21.

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LONDON: The defending champion Novak Djokovic roared back to thump Britain Cameron Norrie in the second-semi-final 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to set up the Wimbledon final clash with Nick Kyrgios.

The Serb has moved one victory away from winning his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title and a seventh overall as he sank his Britain opponent Norrie with his aggressive and precise groundstrokes.

In an enduring semi-final, the defending champion found tough competition from Norrie, who forced him to ante his level up as the latter ran away with the first set after sheer dominance.

Djokovic, on the other hand, wasted no time in bouncing back in style, increasing his intensity, demonstrating great touch from all angles, and beginning to find his spots on serve as he turned the tables in the second set to level.

The Serb continued to attack in the third set as he made the most of the drop in intensity of Norrie’s groundstrokes’ power and took a decisive lead in the match by claiming his second set.

The fourth and final set of the match, then followed the same pattern as Djokovic kept testing Norrie with his aggressive approach and soon went on to claim the victory.

Following this victory, Djokovic will now face Australian Kyrgios in the final, who received a walkover victory from the Spaniard Rafael Nadal as a result of his abdominal injury.

The former world number one has now won 27 consecutive matches at Wimbledon, and a 28th victory would give him his fourth title in a row.

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LONDON: The defending champion Novak Djokovic avoided the scare in his fourth-round match as he defeated Tim Van Rijthoven 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 to qualify for the Wimbledon 2022 quarter-finals.

Djokovic, who enjoyed a near-perfect run in the ongoing tournament thus far, had to fight hard this time around as he sank the wildcard entrant Rijthoven despite dropping the second set.

The Serb displayed sheer dominance in the opening set as he pulled ahead with an early lead of 4-1, the Dutch, however, managed to claim his second game in the next two, only for Djokovic to claim the sixth to seal the set.

The second set then returned a contrasting result as the unseeded Dutch player Ritjhoven stunned Djokovic from 1-2 down to claiming the second set and levelled the match.

Ritjhoven’s astounding comeback in the second set forced Djokovic to be more efficient in the third set by 6-1 to reclaim control.

The fourth set then followed the same pattern as the defending champion did not let the youngster force another comeback and ran away with a comprehensive victory to secure a quarter-finals berth.

Djokovic will play Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals after the Italian thumped Carlos Alcaraz in four sets.

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LONDON: Former World No.1 Novak Djokovic displayed sheer dominance over his countrymate Miomir Kecmanovic in the third round of Wimbledon 2022 to reach the last 16 in pursuit of his title defence.

In a one-sided clash between the two Serbs, Djokovic displayed brilliance as he sealed the third victory of the tournament 6-0 6-3 6-4 to move into the last 16.

The defending champion was unplayable in the opening set as he did not let Kecmanovic open his account before running away with it in 24 minutes.

Kecmanovic, seeded 25, finally found himself in the contest as he scored his first point in the second set – 35 minutes into the match, by taking a long service game.

Djokovic, however, seemed unaffected by the youngster’s brief comeback and soon claimed the second set to move within a set to victory.

The third set then followed the same pattern as the top seed maintained his dominance and claimed his scintillating victory over Kecmanovic to reach the last 16.

In a bid to advance to the quarterfinals, the defending champion will now face Dutch player T. van Rijthoven in a Round of 16 match.

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LONDON: Defending Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic became the first player to win 80 matches at all four Grand Slams on Monday while teenage star Carlos Alcaraz battled over five sets to make the second round.

Six-time champion and top seed Djokovic saw off South Korea’s Kwon Soo-woo 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

But 20-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic was made to work after falling a break down in the opening two sets against his 81st-ranked opponent — losing the second of those.

“Now we have got to 80 wins, let’s get to 100,” said Djokovic, who praised an opponent whose love of karaoke led to an appearance on the South Korean version of TV hit “The Masked Singer” last month.

Djokovic, 35, is attempting to win a fourth successive Wimbledon title and join a select group.

In the Open era, only Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer have managed such a streak at the All England Club.

Alcaraz, a potential quarter-final opponent for Djokovic, came back from two sets to one down to defeat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff.

The 19-year-old fired 30 aces and 73 winners in a dazzling display of shot-making to win 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4.

“Last year, I played five sets in the first round here as well so this shows how much I like grass,” joked Alcaraz.

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