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Novak Djokovic boosted the US Open by saying Thursday he’ll play within the Grand Slam tennis occasion whereas reigning ladies’s champion Bianca Andreescu joined a number of notable no-shows. Top-ranked Djokovic, a 17-time Slam singles champion, ended hypothesis by saying he would journey to New York on Saturday and play a tuneup occasion inside a COVID-19 quarantine bubble on the Flushing Meadows grounds forward of the US Open begin on August 31. “It was not an easy decision to make with all the obstacles and challenges on many sides,” three-time US Open winner Djokovic stated.
“But the prospect of competing again makes me really excited.”
The 33-year-old Serbian would be the solely member of the “Big Three” at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with reigning champion Rafael Nadal — a four-time winner — deciding already to not defend his 2019 title and five-time champion Roger Federer out with a knee harm.
The three stars have received 40 of the previous 51 males’s Grand Slam titles, together with the previous 13 in a row.
Nadal has received 19 males’s Slam crowns, one shy of Federer’s report, whereas Djokovic has received 5 of the previous seven.
Britain’s Andy Murray, the 2012 US Open champion, will compete.
But additionally among the many lacking are France’s Gael Monfils, Italy’s Fabio Fognini, Swiss Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 winner, and Australian crowd-puller Nick Kyrgios.
The US Open will lack each reigning champions in Nadal and Canada’s Andreescu, who stated Thursday she won’t defend her crown as a result of she has been unable to correctly put together, partly due to the pandemic.
“After many discussions with those closest to me, I have made the difficult decision not to return to New York this year,” Andreescu stated in a press release.
“I have taken this step in order to focus on my match fitness and ensure that I return ready to play at my highest level.”
Andreescu defeated Serena Williams 6-3, 7-5 in final yr’s US Open ultimate.
“The US Open victory last year has been the high point of my career thus far and I will miss not being there,” Andreescu stated.
“However, I realize that the unforseen challenges, including the COVID pandemic, have compromised my ability to prepare and compete to the degree necessary to play at my highest level.”
She joins a ladies’s absentee record that features Australia’s top-ranked Ashleigh Barty, Ukraine’s fifth-ranked Elina Svitolina, seventh-rated Kiki Bertens and previous winner Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia.
Serena seeks 24th Slam
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, will compete within the US Open as she tries to match Margaret Court’s all-time Slam titles report and seize a seventh crown at Flushing Meadows.
Williams rallied to defeat sister Venus Williams 3-6, 6-3, 6-Four on Thursday in a second-round match on the WTA occasion in Kentucky, the primary US event for the reason that pandemic shutdown.
“I wanted to win this for my game and my confidence,” stated Serena.
“I honestly didn’t come here to win (a title) for the first time in my career. I just came here to get some matches.”
It’s a return to competitors for Djokovic after he hosted a charity occasion in June the place he and a number of other different gamers examined optimistic for COVID-19.
“I am aware that this time around it will be very different with all the protocols and safety measures that are put in place to protect players and people,” Djokovic wrote in his web site.
Promoted
“Nevertheless, I have trained hard with my team and got my body in shape so I am ready to adapt to new conditions.”
The US Open website housed a makeshift COVID-19 hospital earlier this yr because the pandemic that shut down tennis and different sports activities had its first main US outbreak in New York.
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