With photos of Novak Djokovic sunning himself on the beaches of the Maldives making the rounds, it appears improbable that the 24-time Grand Slam champion will compete in next week’s ATP Finals in Turin
But Jim Courier says nothing is official yet.
“Will Djokovic post, we don’t know if he’s going to,” Courier said on Tennis Channel after Alexander Zverev won the Paris Masters 6-2, 6-2.
“We’ve seen images on social media of him with his family on the beach in the Maldives, which is a long way from Italy. So we’ll see if he laces them up. We do not know. We know that whoever is No. 9 in the race will want him not to, so they enter Torino as a player rather than an alternate.”
“As far as I am concerned, I am done with those tournaments for my career. Whether I will play in other tournaments this year or in the future, I can’t say right now.
“My main priorities are playing for the national team and slams, everything else is less important.”
Andrey Rublev is ranked ninth in the Race to Turin and would join the eight-man field if Djokovic opts out. The event runs from November 10 to 17.
The winner of that event will receive $4,881,100 if they go undefeated and $2,237,200 if they win but are not unbeaten.
“Torino is not my goal at all; to be honest, I am not chasing ATP Finals or rankings,” Djokovic stated after representing Serbia in the Davis Cup in September.
“Torino is not my goal at all; to be honest, I am not chasing ATP Finals or rankings,” Djokovic stated after representing Serbia in the Davis Cup in September.
“As far as I am concerned, I am finished with those tournaments in my career. I’m not sure if I’ll play in any further events this year or in the future.
“My main priorities are playing for the national team and slams, everything else is less important.”
Djokovic is 37-9 this season, and Patrick McEnroe believes he doubts the Serb will play Turin.
“I can see him going either way,” ESPN’s Patrick McEnroe wrote via text. “He has an incredible record in that event (ATP Finals). My gut feeling is that he will not play the rest of the year.”
The Serb is focused on winning a record 25th major, with the Australian Open scheduled for January.
“I still want to make more history and enjoy myself on the tour,” he stated in August, before of the US Open, where he was knocked out in the third round by Alexei Popyrin. “I still aim to inspire many young kids to watch and play tennis.
“These are some of the reasons I keep going. The Grand Slams are the foundation of our sport. They are ‘the’ most significant historical tennis events we have. So if you don’t get psyched and inspired to play your best tennis at the Grand Slams, it’s difficult to do so anywhere else.”
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