Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic may not be able to play the US Open in August because he refuses to get vaccinated against covid, so he is waiting for ‘good news from the United States’.
-The US Open starts on August 29, but you are not vaccinated to enter the United States, so what will the rest of your season look like?
‘I am on holiday. Whether or not I’m playing a tournament soon, I’m going to rest for two weeks no matter what because the last few months have been tough. Then I will wait for some good news from the United States because I would really like to go there, play a tournament or two before the US Open. I am not vaccinated and I do not intend to be vaccinated. So the only good news possible would be a lifting of the vaccination obligation to enter the territory of the United States, or an exemption. But I don’t think getting an exemption is realistic. If it is impossible to go play in the United States, I will have to see what the rest of the season can look like. To be honest, I don’t think I’ll go fishing for points. If I understand correctly, winning a Grand Slam tournament guarantees me a place in the Masters at the end of the year, unless I am outside the Top20. With the points accumulated so far, I think I will be in the Top20. I don’t feel any need to set up a particular program. Things have changed for me in the last 12 or 18 months: I’ve broken the record for weeks spent in first place in the ATP, which I’ve worked for all my life. That’s done so I place my priority on the Grand Slam tournaments and the big tournaments where I feel good. The sequel could therefore be the Laver Cup or the Davis Cup. I love playing for my country.’
-You were supported by the public on Sunday, does that give a particular flavor to your 7th title at Wimbledon?
‘I actually felt the support and the love from the public and I’m very grateful to them. Of course, it’s not a secret, any player would like to have the support of the public during his matches, because that can be very important for the mind. It is definitely easier to overcome certain obstacles and situations in the game when people support you.’
-Have you now recovered from the Australian episode where you were placed in detention before being expelled from the territory for lack of vaccine?
‘Everything that happened after Australia, especially on the tournaments, was very difficult to overcome emotionally. When I left Australia, I thought I had left all that behind me, I thought I was moving forward. But in reality, it was not easy to close this chapter because the media kept reminding me of all this. It caused turbulence in me. I needed time to get out of the storm. At some point, I understood that it was going to take time, that it would take time for me to find myself completely, to regain my mental balance on and off the court. The game was there, I know my qualities, my tennis. But everything that happened off the court distracted me a lot and put a lot of pressure on me. And so, coming to Wimbledon, I was confident because I was staying on three titles in a row and I feel like I’m improving my grass game every year. I arrived from Paris on an emotionally tough defeat (red: in the quarters against Rafael Nadal). But in Rome (winner) and Paris, I was already playing the tennis I wanted to play. So I was confident in my chances coming to Wimbledon.’
/ATS