Novak Djokovic has questions to answer as he reveals big ATP Finals decision
There are a handful of important rules that all top players are expected to follow in tennis and Novak Djokovic may well be accused of breaching one of them after he confirmed he would not play in the ATP Finals.
Djokovic made history when he became the oldest man to win on the ATP Tour as he won the Athens Open, but it was what came next that will stir plenty of debate.
Lorenzo Musetti lost a compelling final in the ATP 250 event in Athens against Djokovic, with that defeat appearing to end the Italian’s hopes of playing in the ATP Finals.
But news broke after Djokovic’s 101st tournament win that he was pulling out of the ATP Finals, as he cited an injury issue.
“I was really looking forward to competing in Turin and giving my best but after today’s final in Athens, I’m sad to share that I need to withdraw due to an ongoing injury,” he said on his Instagram account.
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“I’m truly sorry to the fans who were hoping to see me play – your support means so much.
“I wish all the players an amazing tournament, and I can’t wait to be back on the court with you all soon.”
The warm sentiments from Djokovic may have been well meaning, but there will be some questions over why he took so long to make his decision.
If you take his withdrawal at face value, he is suffering from an injury that will block him from playing un Turin.
Yet most tennis followers expected Djojovic to make this announcement and he should explain why he allowed his name to be included in the ATP Finals draw if he never had any intention of playing.
After pulling out of the ATP Finals last year due to an ‘injury’ last year, Musetti must have expected he would claim the final spot in the Turin tournament with Djokovic widely expected to pull out.
Yet with the draw already taking place and ATP Finals organisers are adjusting the schedule due to uncertainty over Djokovic’s participation, his decision not to play will be frowned upon by many.
Musetti played in Athens in a bid to get the ranking points he needed to qualify for Turin and Felix Auger-Aliassime is in Italy waiting to discover if he will play in the ATP Finals.
If Djokovic had no intention of playing, all of this confusion could have been avoided.
The greatest player of all-time has earned the right to pick and choose when he plays, but he needed to let ATP Finals organisers know if he was going to play long before he did and this decision does not reflect well on the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
