Djokovic says Aussie Open demands were misinterpreted

WORLD No 1 Novak Djokovic has defended himself against charges of insensitivity towards the people of Melbourne, claiming that his much-criticised letter to Tennis Australia had been “misconstrued”.

Djokovic had come under fire for sending a six-point list of requests to Craig Tiley, tournament director at the Australian Open, concerning the plight of the 72 players serving a 14-day hard quarantine.

The letter began by asking for the players to be granted fitness equipment and “decent food”, before moving on to “reduce the days of isolation” and “move as many players as possible to private houses with a court to train”.

Complained

At the time, Victorian premier Daniel Andrews brushed the requests aside, while Nick Kyrgios called Djokovic a “tool”. On social media, many Melburnians complained that the letter showed scant regard for public health.

But Djokovic said on Wednesday that “My good intentions for my fellow competitors in Melbourne have been misconstrued as being selfish, difficult and ungrateful.”

Djokovic continued his post over eight pages on Instagram before concluding that “Things in the media escalated and there was a general impression that the players (including myself ) are ungrateful, weak and selfish … None of us ever questioned 14 days of quarantine.”

Earlier, Tiley had defended his decision to send Djokovic and other leading players to play an exhibition event in Adelaide – where they have larger entourages and more favourable training options – while the bulk of the field have been restricted to just two supportstaff members in Melbourne. (© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2021)