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‘It’s Forbidden…’ – Novak Djokovic Intends to Defend Individual Freedom as US Open Future Hangs in the Balance

Published 07/16/2022, 12:57 AM EDT

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via Reuters

21-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic had a terrible 2022 season, according to his standards, until the Wimbledon Championships. Despite securing the Championships for a fourth consecutive time, his chances of climbing up the rankings look uncertain, as his US Open participation remains doubtful.

After winning the Wimbledon title, he spoke about taking part at the Australian Open and also at the US Open. At the same time, he also talked about his possible retirement from tennis.

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Novak Djokovic would love to take part in both the Australian Open and the US Open

In a recent interview, the Serb talked about not getting into politics, as he wants to compete as a tennis player. I would love to go back to Australia, it is a country that I love and I have registered my best results there. Honestly, I would like to compete in all the places where possible, for that I am a tennis player. I do not want to get into politics. The only thing that I always I have said is that I have my beliefs and I defend that each individual has the freedom to choose what they consider best for themselves,” Djokovic said. (Translated using Google Translate)

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“If they give me the exemptions it will be great, but if not, it won’t be the end of the world either,” the Serb further said about a possible exemption for him. 

Interestingly, Djokovic also mentioned his retirement from the sport, as he said, It’s forbidden to talk about it in my team, I don’t want anyone to think about it. It will depend entirely on me, but I don’t think I’m close, especially seeing myself capable of continuing to win Grand Slams.

Notably, Djokovic had a torrid time at the Australian Open earlier due to his non-vaccination status. According to him, he did receive an exemption and had all the documents with him. Despite that, he was deported back to his country and missed many months of competing on the tour. The Serb is hoping to get an exemption again to compete in the upcoming US Open. Earlier, he missed both Indian Wells and the Miami Open, two very important tournaments.

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What’s next for Djokovic?

Meanwhile, if Djokovic misses the US Open, he will most probably return to a Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open in 2023. As per recent reports, travelers will no longer need to provide any proof of their vaccination. This means Djokovic can take part in the Australian Open in 2023 without any issue.

via Reuters

Watch This Story: Novak Djokovic turns into spider-man as he hits the shot of the tournament during his victory over Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon Championships

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Recently, at the Wimbledon Championships, Djokovic proved his credentials as one of the best players on the planet despite the rankings. In the final, he beat the Aussie, Nick Kyrgios, to win his 7th Wimbledon title. Even though his US Open participation is in doubt, he still can win plenty of ATP titles before the end of this season.

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Written by:

Debkinkar Maity

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Debkinkar Maity is a Tennis Author at EssentiallySports. His desire to become a sports journalist inspired him to take up a degree in journalism and mass communication, and he hasn't looked back ever since. Following the sport for over a decade now, Debkinkar has an ardent love for Roger Federer.
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Edited by:

Tony Thomas