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Australian Open: Novak Djokovic proposes NBA-like bubble as ‘majority of players’ won’t tolerate Covid-19 quarantines
- World number one said hotel lockdowns ‘definitely not good’ and proposes immediate discussions for one-venue bubbles
- Djokovic stresses current model’s mental and physical toll and says he has received complaints from other players
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Novak Djokovic has claimed the “majority” of tennis players are opposed to playing on tour this season if quarantining before tournaments becomes the norm.
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The world number one made his stunning claim after reaching the Australian Open semi-finals with a four-set win over Alexander Zverev, moving a step closer to a ninth title at the event.
Djokovic, 33, is battling an abdominal injury and he pointed to problems that have affected the likes of Rafael Nadal, Matteo Berrettini and Grigor Dimitrov during their time in Australia.
The Serbian stressed that being locked down in hotel rooms as they were in Australia – in some cases being strictly confined for 14 days – was “definitely not good” for the physical health of players.
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He is proposing, casually for now, that tennis considers a bubble system whereby one venue stages a string of tournaments, meaning players would not have to travel from country to country and each time need to abide by different Covid-19 rules.
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