Novak Djokovic recently began practicing on hard courts at Tipsarevic Academy in Serbia. According to a report from Spanish newspaper Marca, the No. 1 men's tennis player in the world plans to play in the US Open in New York if tournament officials agree to waive the quarantine requirement once he returns to Europe. The US Open runs from Aug. 31 until Sept. 13 while the French Open is slated to take place from Sept. 27 until Oct. 11.
Djokovic is preparing to play in the French Open warm-up tournaments in Madrid and Rome just two weeks after the US Open.
Djokovic has previously stated that he's not in favor of the guidelines that the US Open is scheduled to have in place.
"The rules that they told us that we would have to respect to be there, to play at all, they are extreme," Djokovic told ESPN last month. "We would not have access to Manhattan, we would have to sleep in hotels at the airport, to be tested twice or three times per week. Also, we could bring one person to the club, which is really impossible. I mean, you need your coach, then a fitness trainer, then a physiotherapist."
Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, both tested positive for the coronavirus in late June following the Adria Tour, which was ultimately canceled. The two isolated in Croatia and didn't show any symptoms before testing negative for COVID-19 earlier in June. In addition, Borna Coric, Grigor Dimitrov and Viktor Troicki -- all of whom played in the exhibitions alongside Djokovic-- also tested positive for COVID-19.
No social distancing measures were enforced during the Adria Tour matches that Djokovic organized in Croatia and Serbia, even though players travelled from all over the world to participate in the events. Off the court, videos surfaced in June of Djokovic and several European tennis stars, including Coric and Dimitrov, partying at a Serbian nightclub days before Dimitrov confirmed that he tested positive for the coronavirus.
Dojokovic also claimed that he was the subject of a "witch hunt" after players tested positive for COVID-19 during the Adria Tour tournament.
