Thursday, Oct 22, 2020 11:28 AM
BELGRADE, Serbia – World No.1 Novak Djokovic, holder of 17 Grand Slam titles, said on Thursday he hoped to play in the Australian Open in January, in his run for the records of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, tied with twenty major trophies each.
On the sidelines of training in Belgrade, where he is preparing for the tournament in Vienna (October 26-November 1), the 33-year-old Serbian player told reporters he was “not sure” of the date. of his arrival in Melbourne, due to the two-week quarantine applied to travelers arriving in Australia due to the coronavirus epidemic.
“We hope that will change, that they will shorten the quarantine period”, but if the measures remain in force, “most of us players will have to go to Australia earlier,” he said. said.
Although the tournament is scheduled for Jan. 18-31, player quarantine centers will be established in “a number” of Australian cities from early December, the Australian Tennis Federation recently announced.
At the top of the ATP ranking since February 3, Djokovic is 1890 points ahead of Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who drastically beat him in the Roland-Garros final on October 11.
Before the end of the year, “Nole” must also play in the London Masters which brings together in November the eight best players of the season.
He will go to Melbourne to defend the title, his 8th at the Australian Open and his last major title won. He will also need the points in Australia if he is to break Federer’s record of 310 weeks at the top of world tennis. Djokovic will start his 292nd week on Monday. Nadal is currently stuck at 209.
“Maybe someone has a problem with me having bigger ambitions and expressing it. But I was brought up to be honest and clear and open, ”he said. And to add: “My goal is to be number one the longest in history and I’m working on it”.
Disqualified in September from the United States Open for a gesture of humor, injuring a linesman with a batted ball without looking, Djokovic said Thursday he was in favor of replacing these judges with technology.
“As for decisions on the line, the technology could be more efficient than the human factor. “
