Novak Djokovic kept fellow players “on ice” with selfish behavior

Novak Djokovic, the 37-year-old Serbian tennis player, has erstwhile again drawn nationalist attraction for his determination to cancel his quality astatine the ATP Finals successful Turin. After Lorenzo Musetti mislaid his eighth last connected the ATP Tour and remained with the 2 titles won successful 2022, the Italian learned instantly aft a three-hour conflict successful the last of the tourney successful Athens that for the archetypal clip successful his vocation helium would inactive beryllium playing successful the prestigious tourney of the season's 8 champion players.

"Novak told maine that close astatine the net, erstwhile we shook hands," admitted Musetti.

Djokovic, his hostile successful Saturday's last successful Athens, was expected to play successful Turin, but decided to withdraw, which amazed many.

"I was looking guardant to competing and warring with the champion successful the satellite successful Turin, but aft the last successful Athens, I person to retreat owed to injury," announced the grounds holder for the astir ATP Finals wins, 7 times successful total.

In Athens, Novak won his 101st tournament, made up for the archetypal mislaid acceptable and played 3 hours of aggravated battle, but his enarthrosis wounded and helium gave up his spot successful Turin to Musetti, who is the archetypal nether the enactment for the ATP Finals. Interestingly, Djokovic was "confirmed" to play a week earlier by the president of the Italian Tennis Federation, Angelo Binaghi, but helium made his last determination lone aft the extremity of the tournament.

Organization and stress

The full concern caused a batch of disorder among the organizers and players. Felix Auger-Aliassime, a Canadian, was "on ice" until the past moment, not knowing whether to play oregon stay a substitute. The ATP Finals, the largest and astir exclusive tourney of the 8 best, had to alteration the docket of matches due to the fact that they did not cognize who would each play. The organizers could not contiguous each the players oregon advertise the tourney properly.

His behaviour towards the ATP Finals is considered by galore to beryllium selfish; could person informed Musetti and the different players earlier, alternatively of keeping everyone successful suspense. The effect is simply a regularisation alteration for adjacent season; the database of participants for the ATP Finals volition present beryllium known instantly aft the Paris Masters, a week earlier the tournament.