Novak Djokovic pulls out of Serbian Open – Tennis News
Reigning world number one, Novak Djokovic, has decided to withdraw from the Serbian Open in Belgrade.
Djokovic was supposed to defending his title at his home event but his grandfather’s death has taken a toll on him and the five-time Grand Slam champion is in sheer grief.
In a statement on his official website, the Serbian said, "After consulting with my family, I've made a decision not to take part in the tournament this year. I will take some time, try restore my emotional energy.”
He added, "This is certainly one of the toughest decisions in my career, but it is impossible for me to play in the next few days and to think about tennis, when there are some other things in my head."
Djokovic got the news of his grandfather’s death when he was preparing for his third round match against Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Drained from all of his energy after hearing the sad news,
the Serbian still decided to play the match, winning in three sets from the Ukrainian.
The world’s best player kept progressing and missed the funeral. Despite of the entire emotional trauma, the Serbian reached the title match but lost to King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, in straight sets 6-3, 6-1. After the final, Djokovic
immediately headed to Belgrade to visit his grandfather’s grave.
Djokovic said, "I had no emotional energy left in me. It was a bad day. I just wasn't there. I've never been caught up in this kind of emotional situation before. It's been a very difficult week for me to go through mentally.”
Serbian Open is organized by Djokovic’s family, which is quite active for tennis in their country. He won the title comfortably last year, beating Feliciano Lopez of Spain in straight sets 7-6(4), 6-2 in the final. The 24-year-old
had also won the inaugural edition of the ATP World Tour 250 event, when he defeated Polish, Lukasz Kubot, in the title match.
The Serbian is looking to capture this year’s French Open to complete career Grand Slam. He currently holds the title of all the other three Grand Slams, which are Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open. He is in good form, as
he toppled world number four, Andy Murray, in straight sets 6-1, 7-6(4) to win the Sony Ericsson Open in April.
Djokovic will make a comeback at the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain. The Serbian will defend his title, as he stunned Nadal in last year’s final.
Tags: