Novak Djokovic defends his letter, saying his intentions were good

Wednesday, 20 January 2021 at 18:30

The 17-time Major champion Novak Djokovic released a statement following his letter sent to Craig Tiley about the Melbourne bubble conditions, having to defend his good intentions.

Novak's letter wasn't well received in the Australian media and government, and his efforts to secure improved quarantine conditions made him a bad guy, not for the first time.

"My good intentions for my fellow competitors in Melbourne have been misconstrued as being selfish, difficult, and ungrateful. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Not every act is taken at its face value and at times when I see the aftermath of things, I do tend to ask myself if I should just sit back and enjoy my benefits instead of paying attention to other people's struggles. However, I always choose to do something and be of service despite the challenging consequences and misunderstandings.

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Things in the media escalated and there was a general impression that the players (including myself) are ungrateful, weak, and selfish because of their unpleasant feelings in quarantine.

I am very sorry that it has come to that because I do know how grateful many are. We all came to Australia to compete. Not being able to train and prepare before the tournament starts is really not easy. None of us ever questioned 14 days of quarantine despite what is being said by media outlets," Novak Djokovic said.