Brisbane: A relaxed Novak Djokovic has shed light on what it is like to be the target of Nick Kyrgios’ vitriol, as well as sharing his thoughts on Jannik Sinner, tennis’ anti-doping process, and hiring Andy Murray as his coach.
The 10-time Australian Open champion arrived in the country on Saturday and is the top seed for this week’s Brisbane International, where he will also partner Kyrgios in doubles after they first discussed the possibility at Wimbledon mid-year.
Novak Djokovic is back in Australia, hunting another grand slam title.Credit: AAP
At age 37 and with specks of grey through his hair, Djokovic has slid from world No.1 – a status he enjoyed for a record-obliterating 428 weeks – to No.7, but remains hungry to “make more history”.
He can even picture himself still playing at 40 after winning an Olympic gold medal this year and reaching the Wimbledon final in a comparatively low season by his lofty standards.
“It’s been an interesting year, in which my main focus and priority was to win a gold medal in the Olympics – and I’ve achieved that,” Djokovic said atop Brisbane’s Sky Deck.
“[But] overall, I’ve had, I guess, more losses and ups and downs than in the previous seasons.
“I’m planning to play a bit more tournaments than I played last season, so hopefully, also the level is going to go up, and as a consequence, I’ll be able to hopefully win a few tournaments and get my ranking higher.”
Like Kyrgios, Djokovic – a 24-time grand slam winner – is concerned with how anti-doping cases are impacting the integrity of the sport, including the process to reach a resolution.
The outspoken Australian, who will play his first competitive match in 18 months in Brisbane after a serious wrist injury, has taken particular aim at Sinner, who avoided a ban but forfeited prizemoney and ranking points from Indian Wells this year after two positive tests.
Kyrgios’ attacks on Sinner, including calling him “the Grinch” on social media this week, are reminiscent of how he once targeted Djokovic before they became friends, even if the reasoning was different.
Djokovic (right) has teamed up with former rival Andy Murray (left).Credit: Getty Images for Laver Cup
“I mean, it’s not pleasant [being targeted by Kyrgios], but at the same time, we live in a world where everybody has the right, particularly on social media, to express themselves,” Djokovic said.
“Nick has been really vocal about things, and particularly, the doping case with Jannik – and he has some fair points when it comes to the transparency and inconsistency with protocols and with case-to-case comparables.
“We had plenty of players who we’ve seen in the past, and also currently, who are under suspension for not even being tested on the banned substances, for missing the doping tests and whereabouts, and some players who are lower ranked waiting for their case to be resolved for over a year.”
Djokovic said players were “kept in the dark” about Sinner’s investigation and that anti-doping cases involving Iga Swiatek and Simona Halep had cast a shadow over the sport.
“I’m not questioning whether [Sinner] took the banned substance intentionally or not,” he said.
“I believe in a clean sport. I believe that the player will do everything possible to be playing fair. I’ve known Jannik since he was very young, so he doesn’t strike me as somebody who would do such thing, but I’ve been really frustrated, as most of the other players, to see that we were kept in the dark for five months since he was receiving that news.
“It’s not a good image for, and not a good look for, our sport [with the high-profile cases].”
Djokovic rates Sinner, four-time grand slam winner Carlos Alcaraz and world No.2 Alex Zverev as the top Australian Open contenders, but believes he can still compete for major titles.
That is partly why he turned to former foe Andy Murray for a fresh edge at this advanced stage of his legendary career.
They spent 10 days together in the off-season, and the British great will link up with him in Melbourne for the Open. A decision will be made after the tournament on whether the partnership will continue.
“Being on the same side of the net is actually great for a change because he’s been one of my greatest rivals,” Djokovic said.
“It’s, in a way, strange for me to share all these kinds of insights about how I feel on the court, some of the secrets of what I’m going through, what I’m thinking about, how I see my game, with somebody who has been one of [my] top rivals.
“But I’m so glad and very thankful that he has accepted to work with me, and in Australia … he’s very meticulous, dedicated and professional.”
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
