Novak Djokovic continued his triumphal march at the ATP tournament in Astana and made it to the final.
However, the Serbian tennis star benefited from a task by world number five Daniil Medvedev, who, from the point of view of Djokovic, was unable to continue playing at a score of 4: 6, 7: 6 (8: 6).
In the final on Sunday, Djokovic will face the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, whom the Serb has defeated seven times in nine duels so far.
“I’m a bit shocked about this end,” said Djokovic after his sixth win against Medvedev: “He looked very fit the whole time, at most he moved more slowly in the last seven or eight points. He would never give up if he could somehow keep going.”
Tsitsipas had previously beaten Andrei Rublev 4: 6, 6: 4, 6: 3 at the hard court tournament in Kazakhstan’s capital. Cologne’s Oscar Otte was eliminated in the first round.
As the 35-year-old said at a press conference, he is not allowed to take part in the US Open due to his refusal to be vaccinated in the event of a continued ban on entry into the USA.
“True, as of today, I am not allowed to enter the States under these circumstances. I’m aware of that,” said Djokovic and added: “I can only wait and see. I would love to travel to the United States, but as it stands, that’s not possible. There’s not much more I can do. It’s really up to the US government to make a decision on whether or not to allow unvaccinated people into the country.
The obligation to test before entering the USA has recently been abolished, but with a few exceptions a vaccination against Corona is still a prerequisite for entering the USA.
Djokovic categorically rejects vaccination When asked by a journalist whether the vaccination was out of the question for him, the third in the world rankings confirmed this with a smile on his lips.
At the beginning of the year, the Serb had to skip the Australia Open because of his refusal to vaccinate. Djokovic also missed the tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami.
Novak Djokovic in contention for the bronze medal at the Tokyo Games
BELGRADE (Reuters) – World number one tennis player Novak Djokovic has said he has unfinished business at the Olympics and will seek gold at Paris 2024, adding he wants to return to Australia despite his deportation this year.
Djokovic’s quest for Olympic gold in Tokyo ended in a semi-final defeat to German Alexander Zverev, which didn’t tarnish a stellar 2021 in which he won the first three Grand Slams and reached the final of the fourth.
“An Olympic medal, especially a gold one, is always a big wish,” the 34-year-old told Radio Television of Serbia ahead of his return to competition next week.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to fight for this in the past. I intend to be in Paris in 2024.”
Last month, after an 11-day controversy involving two visa cancellations, two court challenges and five nights in an migrant detention hotel, Djokovic was deported on the eve of the Australian Open for failing to get vaccinated against Covid-19. .
This deprived him of the chance to win the 10th Australian Open and 21st Grand Slam title.
“I will always remember all the good things that happened to me in Melbourne,” he said. “Despite all that, I have a great connection to Australia. The results I’ve had in Melbourne in the past show how I feel when I go there,” he said.
“Everything that happened this year was totally unexpected. It will be hard to forget, but I want to come back to Australia in the future and play at Rod Laver Arena again.”
Djokovic said in an interview with the BBC this week that he is willing to miss Grand Slams and other tournaments instead of getting vaccinated against Covid-19, but added that he is not anti-vaccine and has an “open mind” for the future.
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