The ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict has only been spoken about by a few players on the tennis tour. Players like Ons Jabeur, Coco Gauff, Tennys Sandgren, and Billie Jean King have spoken about it. A complaint was filed against Jabeur by the Israel Tennis Federation for taking a stand against them. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic has not commented so far on the current situation of the conflict.
Former Australian Open doubles winner Andy Ram shared an Instagram post saying that the big four have not done enough about the present situation. He said, “I’m sure they (tennis players) have heard of the stories. They know what happened… It’s disappointing a little bit, I mean, Djokovic should be a little bit sensitive for the situation.” Ram specifically mentioned Djokovic due to Serbia’s ties with Israel.
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The 19-time tour title winner went on to talk about how the players have failed to condemn the war. His longtime doubles partner, Jonathan Erlich, was supposed to play with Djokovic at last year’s Tel Aviv Open, but an injury prevented him from doing so. Erlich had partnered with the Serbian at Queens in 2010, and the pair won the title; it remains the only doubles title Djokovic has won.
Novak Djokovic missing out on defending Tel Aviv Open title this season
The Tel Aviv Open was back on the ATP tour in 2022 after a 26-year gap. The ATP 250 title was picked by Djokovic last season and was his 89th career title. The world No.1 did not drop a single set on his way to the title. He beat Marin Cilic in the final. It was the third time the pair was meeting in the final stage of an event. Cilic had won their previous final meeting at Queens in 2018.
Djokovic will not be able to defend his crown this season as the ATP canceled the event, citing the player’s safety. The 36-year-old has not played a match since the Davis Cup at the beginning of September. Djokovic is expected to return to tour during the Paris Masters. He had lost to Holger Rune in the final last year. Fans are hoping that the 24-time grand slam winner keeps his rankings safe till the end of the season.
Novak Djokovic wins an all-US Open champion final in Tel Aviv. pic.twitter.com/TJkYb2yswz
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) October 2, 2022
Along with Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz is also expected to make a comeback at the Paris Masters. Alcaraz had been affected by an injury and will play in Paris and end his season at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. Djokovic currently has a 500-point lead in rankings over the Spaniard. The next few weeks will be crucial for all the top players on the ATP tour.