Federer gets Djokovic backing in preferential treatment row
london — World number one Novak Djokovic leapt to the defence of great rival Roger Federer on Monday after claims that the Swiss enjoys preferential treatment on Tour.
Frenchman Julien Benneteau caused a stir during an interview on Sunday in which he said tournament referees were often kinder to Federer when it came to scheduling his matches.
Benneteau was particularly referring to the Australian Open where he said 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer played “12 or 13” of his 14 matches at Melbourne in the past two years at night, so avoiding the often scorching temperatures.
Asked for his thoughts, Djokovic said Federer had earned the right for special treatment. “In the end of the day, in a way he deserves the special treatment because he’s sixtime champion of Australian Open and arguably the best player ever,” Djokovic told reporters.
“If he doesn’t have it, who is going to have it? People want to see him play on the centre court, and they want to see him play in showtime, the best hours, which is 7:30 at night in Rod Laver Arena.
“I understand Julien’s point because sometimes it does seem that maybe certain players get more favoured year after year in certain tournaments. On the other side, you have to understand that Federer is a driving force of tennis in terms of revenue, in terms of attention.” — Shutterstock file