World number 1 tennis star Novak Djokovic broke his silence on the new policy to allow fans into the stadium while there isn’t a changeover and revealed that he was ‘divided’ over the decision. The Serbian star noted that the change in the environment affects the player, citing his own case.
‘Kind of divided’: Djokovic
Noting that the new rule did allow time to be lost for considerable amount, Djokovic admitted that it ‘dragged a lot’, as per the Melbourne Press. However, he said that it while it wasn’t the best rule, it was better for the fans as it saved time for them.
“I did not know about that new policy or new rule… Look, I mean, I understand the motive behind it is to enhance & improve the experience for fans, right? We do play for fans. We want fans to have a great, thrilling experience of being out on the court.”
“Like Tiafoe, for example, is one of the players that was saying we should let people, like in other sports, freely walk & talk during matches. It’s hard, I must say. I understand that & I support it to some extent, but at the same time all my career, all my life I’ve been used to some kind of atmosphere. When that changes, it kind of messes up, distracts you a bit. Today we lost quite a bit of time when they were letting people in to come to their seats, even though it was not a changeover. My opponent would wait for them to sit down. It dragged a lot. I don’t know if it’s really the best rule, but I do understand from a tournament and fan perspective it’s probably better because they don’t want to wait. They want to come out & enjoy every single point. I’m kind of divided between the two in a way,” he added.
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