Alexander Zverev Says Novak Djokovic Wrongly Portrayed as “Bad Guy” in Australian Open 2021 Letter Row
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PARIS, FRANCE: Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a backhand in his semi final match against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria on day 6 of the Rolex Paris Masters, part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 held at the at AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
German tennis star Alexander Zverev has defended 17-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic amid controversy over the latter’s letter to Tennis Australia.
Djokovic came under fire after writing to Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley, where he put forward some demands with regard to relaxation of quarantine restrictions in place for the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic wrote to Tennis Australia seeking easing of quarantine rules
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The issue snowballed into a major controversy as the Serb drew a torrent of criticism, including from peer Nick Kyrgios, who called him “a tool”.
With the letter literally blowing upon his face, Djokovic issued a clarification saying that he merely spoke up for players who were subjected to hard quarantine without the option of practice.
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a forehand in his Men’s Singles first round match against Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany during Day one of The Championships – Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 01, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
The 72 players in question were forced into strict isolation after some crew members in their chartered flights tested positive for COVID-19.
As it turned out, four among the ten who tested positive for the virus were athletes who were going to take part in the Grand Slam.
In his letter, Djokovic urged Tennis Australia to consider providing better food to players in hard quarantine, shorten isolation periods for those who test negative, and move all the players to “private houses with tennis courts”.
Zverev says Djokovic put forward demands raised by quarantined players
Opening up on the row in an interview with Eurosport, Zverev said that the Serb was wrongly portrayed in a negative light as he was only trying to help out fellow players.
The German revealed that Djokovic sent the letter out after a discussion with the players concerned in a “group chat”.
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He added that the demands put forward by the Serb were raised by the players and he wasn’t seeking privileges for himself.
“It was not his own letter, it was the points that were asked by other players,” Zverev revealed. He added that the reigning Australian Open champion was portrayed as the “bad guy” again for “just standing up for others”.
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In his capacity as the founder and president of the Professional Tennis Players’ Association, Djokovic is known to stand up for his colleagues, should they face any troubles.
2-Time Grand Slam Champion Explains Why Novak Djokovic ‘Needs to be Loved’ as Federer and Nadal Are
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