Novak Djokovic is back in the United States, back in New York — and back at the US Open for the first time in two years.
Unable to compete at Flushing Meadows in 2022 because he was not allowed to fly to the country as a foreign citizen who is not vaccinated against Covid-19, the 23-time Grand Slam champion will be back in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday as play begins in the season’s final major tournament.
He was asked whether he harboured some resentment over the way things happened; Djokovic sat out tournaments in California and Florida in addition to the US Open because of a federal rule related to the pandemic that was lifted in May this year.
“No, there was no anger. It was last year during the Open that I felt it’s a pity that I’m not there. I felt sad for not being able to participate,” Djokovic said with a shrug of his shoulders, draped in a gray hoodie. “But this year, I mean, is this year. I don’t think about what happened in the last year or last couple of years. Just focusing my attention to (sic) this year’s tournament.”
The last match the 36-year-old from Serbia played in Ashe was the 2021 US Open final, a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Daniil Medvedev. Not only did that drop Djokovic’s record in title matches at Flushing Meadows to 3-6 but, of more significance, it left him one victory shy of completing the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men’s tennis since Rod Laver’s in 1969.
Djokovic wept at the end of that match. “I still feel vibes from that night of the finals, two years ago. I’ll try to use that for this year’s tournament,” he said.
