"I really don't understand": Novak Djokovic calls out Olympic Games chiefs for poor rule after thrashing Ebden
ATP
Novak Djokovic has slammed the rules in place at the Olympic Games which saw the 24-time Grand Slam champion face and thrash Matthew Ebden, a doubles specialist who was a late replacement into the draw after withdrawals.
An Olympic Games staple, a lot of the time it sees doubles players feature like Ebden who have not played singles for years and Djokovic finds the whole situation bizarre. He said that he spoke to Ebden after the match and that he hadn't played singles in two years.
He also didn't get how players like Matteo Berrettini who are in Europe anyway cannot be called up to play and that ITF rules should be circumnavigated to have players on standby who don't qualify by right usually or have decided against playing initially.
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"Look, I really don’t understand the rules they’re a bit, really not logical for me," he said. "You know that you have if somebody withdraws or cancels before or when the draw is made then you call doubles players to play singles. I don’t think it’s a good image for the sport, to be honest. There were a lot of singles players that had plenty of time, that were alternates, that could’ve been called to come."
"So this part I don’t get, I really hope the ITF along with the Olympics will consider changing this rule because it’s tough on Matthew because, he hasn’t played I guess a singles practice in two years," he continued.
"He’s told me it’s been over two years [since] he played a singles match, this was his last singles match, he’s officially retired [from singles]. So not a great feeling for him being on the court like that but it is what it is. As I said, I’m happy with overcoming the hurdle the way I did in the first match. Tomorrow I’ll have a day of training and preparing for the first match."
"I don’t think the rules are great at all. I think that needs to change and it’s been happening every Olympic Games that I was part of, this is my fifth. I just don’t understand why, if you have time, if it’s in Europe - most of the other players are in Europe, some are in the States.
"But there was a lot of players that were alternates and they were ready to come, within half a day they would be here. So I just don’t get this rule, I hope they will change it. It’s not a great image for tennis and as you mentioned, Berrettini was one of those players that could easily be playing in this tournament."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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