Djokovic says top Asian men’s player is years away
BEIJING: World no.1 Novak Djokovic says it will be at least five years before Asia can produce a top-ranking men’s player, and greater support for emerging players is the key.
Only one Asian is currently among the men’s top 40, number 13-ranked Kei Nishikori from Japan, and he has trained in the United States since the age of 14 and is based there.
Women’s tennis in Asia has been boosted by the emergence of Li Na, who has pioneered the sport in China due to her huge popularity as a 2011 French Open winner. But the world number five remains the only singles Grand Slam winner from Asia, and Djokovic said more Asian stars are needed in men’s tournaments to raise awareness of the sport.
“First we have to see Asian players more coming towards the top of men’s tennis,” he told reporters in Beijing after winning his opening match at the China Open against Czech Lukas Rosol 6-0, 6-3.
“With bigger support and awareness about tennis, I think you can expect better results.”
But he said Asia was still a long way from producing a player who could be “dominant”.
“That is not realistic for Asian players at this moment because they haven’t had any big success in Grand Slams,” he said. “In the next five years I don’t see it happening, but, you know, maybe I’m wrong.”
Djokovic also said a “kind of a system that can support the sport in this part of the world” was needed that would invest money and expertise into emerging players.
The current China Open champion also won praise for his involvement in a charity exhibition match with Li at the start of the tournament last week.
The pair traded shots as well as light-hearted banter across the nets during the session, and Djokovic delighted the crowd by speaking Mandarin and writing his name in Chinese for the INJURED TSONGA CRASHES OUT OF TOKYO TOKYO: Former champion Jo-wilfried Tsonga crashed out of the Japan Open in the second round on Wednesday, ambushed 6-4, 7-6 by Croatia’s Ivan Dodig in the tournament’s first major upset.
Top seed Juan Martin del Potro thrashed fellow Argentine the quarter-finals of the $1.43 million event in Tokyo before Tsonga, still feeling his way back from a knee injury, was uncer emoniously bundled out.
“I’m not shocked by this result,” the second-seeded Frenchman told reporters. “This game is difficult enough with two legs. With one and a half it’s complicated.”
The world number eight champion in 2009, retired from the second round at Wimbledon and only returned at Metz a week ago, reaching the final.
He beat fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils in the first round in Tokyo but never got out of the blocks against Dodig.
“I’m still coming back so it’s never perfect,” said Tsonga, his left knee heavily iced. “It’s frus trating but it’s part of the job to accept it’s going to be difficult when you’re not 100 percent. He broke me early and I was always chasing the match.”
Canada’s Milos Raonic coming off his fifth career title in Bangkok at the weekend matched del Potro’s power in a comfortable 6-4, 7-6 first-round win over local Go Soeda.
The third seed belted 24 aces and whitewashed his wildcard opponent 7-0 in the second-set tiebreak.
“I did a lot of things well and buckled down when I needed to,” said the world number 11, run ner up to Japan’s Kei Nishikor