Google News 'If Novak Djokovic wants to play on the tennis tour...', says legend
by SIMONE BRUGNOLI | VIEW 11722
Carlos Alcaraz lived a season as a protagonist and showed everyone his immense talent. The young Spanish tennis player won his first ATP tournament in Umag, reached the top 40, played in the quarter-finals at the US Open after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas and winning the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan with merit.
Alcaraz will be part of the Spanish Davis Cup squad and, together with his teammates, will seek to gain access to the quarter-finals of the historic team event. Sergi Bruguera has decided to summon Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, Carlos Alcaraz, Feliciano Lopez and Marcel Granollers.
In the last few hours, Bautista Agut has however announced that he will not take part in the competition due to an abdominal problem. He will be replaced by expert Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Recall that Spain was included in Group A together with Russia and Ecuador.
“If I had been told at the beginning of the year that I would have played such a season, I would not have believed it. It was a year of learning, full of experiences. From Melbourne to Milan, I have had good times, bad times and I have learned a lot," Alcaraz said in a new episode of Players Voice (Eurosport).
"I played against Rafael Nadal in Madrid, Alexander Zverev in Acapulco, Daniil Medvedev in Wimbledon. It was important to finish 2021 by winning the Next Gen Finals. This year I learned to manage emotions and regulate myself.
I understood this in the match against Stefanos Tsitsipas in New York. It is true that the match against Gaston in Paris was tough for me, with the whole crowd against it, but the next time something like this happens to me I will already know how to handle it.
When Novak Djokovic told me what I had done was incredible, I didn't believe it."
Boris Becker comments on Djokovic
Boris Becker has revealed he "can't imagine" that Novak Djokovic will not play at the 2022 Australian Open due to his love for the sport.
The German, who coached Djokovic from 2014 to 2016, asserted that the World No. 1 must follow the rules regarding vaccination being mandatory to play in the event. "I can't imagine that he won't play in Australia,” Becker said.
"He loves the sport too much for that, he loves tennis history too much for that. He wants to reach 21 Grand Slam wins. Australia is his best Grand Slam. He has already won nine times there. Why shouldn't he win a 10th time? He says it is his personal decision whether to get vaccinated or not," Becker continued.
"It is nobody's business. I'm with him on that. But if he wants to play on the tennis tour - and we're also having this discussion about [Bayern Munich footballer] Joshua Kimmich - then you just have to follow the rules. That means you have to be vaccinated in order to play," Becker added.
"That applies to Djokovic, that applies to Kimmich and that applies to every athlete who is at home in their respective sport."