Novak Djokovic explains why he may not enter Tokyo Olympics
Novak Djokovic tied Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with 20 Grand Slam titles when he won Wimbledon again on Sunday, but there is still one piece of hardware he doesn’t have — a gold medal. He may not have a chance to change that this summer.
Djokovic was previously planning to take part in the Tokyo Olympics, but he is now on the fence. He told reporters after he defeated Matteo Berrettini that the new coronavirus-related restrictions that were announced for the Summer Olympics have made him reconsider.
“My plan was always to go to Olympic Games, but right now I’m a little bit divided,” Djokovic said, via NBCSports.com. “I also hear that there’s going to be a lot of restrictions within the (Athletes’) Village. Possibly you would not be able to see other athletes perform live. I can’t even have my stringer that is very important part of my team. I can’t have a stringer. I’m limited with the amount of people I can take in my team as well.”
Japan declared a state of emergency this week due to a rise in COVID-19 cases. Spectators will not be allowed at Olympic events, and a number of restrictions are expected to be in place for athletes. Djokovic said he considers himself ’50-50′ to compete in the Summer Games now.
Federer and Nadal both have Olympic gold medals. Djokovic has openly said in the past that he wishes his Olympic record were better, but you can understand why he would rethink going to Japan.
