Novak Djokovic Says Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer Will Be ‘Missed A Lot’ At U.S. Open

The last time there was a U.S. Open without Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal was 1999.

Novak Djokovic was 12 at the time, and still four years away from turning pro. Andre Agassi won the title that year.

Now the “Big Three” of men’s tennis has been reduced to a “Big One” for this year’s U.S. Open, with Djokovic the only member of the troika in New York City for the event beginning Aug. 31. He will also play in the Western & Southern Open in New York, with his first match coming Sunday or Monday.

Nadal, the defending champion, announced earlier this month he would skip New York over concerns about the pandemic, while Federer is done for the year with knee surgery.

“It is strange, because these two guys are the legends of our sport and with or without crowds, they are going to be missed a lot,” world No. 1 Djokovic told Chris Clarey of The New York Times
NYT
in an exclusive Zoom call.

Djokovic will be the favorite in New York as he seeks his 18th Grand Slam title.

Federer, 39, is the all-time men’s leader with 20 major titles, with the 34-year-old Nadal hot on his heels at 19. Nadal plans to play the French Open — which he has won 12 times — beginning Sept. 27.

Djokovic, 33, has conceded for several years now his ultimate goal is to end with more majors than his two chief rivals. Of his 17 majors, three have come at the U.S. Open (2011, ‘15 and ‘18).

“One of the reasons why I keep on playing professional tennis on this level is because I want to reach more heights in the tennis world,” he told the Times.

Djokovic will be playing his first events in New York since his ill-fated Adria Tour in Serbia and Croatia, where several players, including himself, tested positive for COVID-19 after the event featured a lack of social distancing and also players out partying together at clubs.

“I don’t think I’ve done anything bad to be honest,” he told The Times. “I do feel sorry for people that were infected. Do I feel guilty for anybody that was infected from that point onward in Serbia, Croatia and the region? Of course not. It’s like a witch hunt, to be honest. How can you blame one individual for everything?”

Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, tested positive for the virus in June, but both have since recovered.

“It was obviously a mistake,” world No. 3 Dominic Thiem told CNN Sport.

“Everybody that tested positive is healthy again. I think everybody learned from that mistake….It was a mistake. Everybody regrets it of course but it’s time to look in the future.

Thiem feels Djokovic has been unfairly shamed and punished for his role in the Adria Tour.

“Of course it was unfair to him because he didn’t break any law and he didn’t force any player to come there,” Thiem said. “It was everybody, our own decision. The whole event was for a very good cause in general.”

Now comes the Western & Southern Open and then the U.S. Open where Djokovic will once again attempt to move up the all-time list.