Australian tennis legend Todd Woodbridge has reacted to the Novak Djokovic Australian Open news as he believes it is “the best scenario for the tournament” to have the record nine-time Australian Open champion competing at the tournament.
On Tuesday, Australian media reported that Djokovic’s visa ban is set to be overturned and that he will be allowed to compete at the Australian Open in 2023. “I think that’s the best scenario for the tournament because we want the best players playing at the Australian Open.
What goes into the Open in terms of the build-up, prizemoney, what it does to our reputation around the world — we want the very best to be allowed to come here and allowed to play. And given the fact that Novak has won it nine times, he goes into it now as a heavy favourite after not being allowed to play this year,” Woodbridge said on 2GB’s Wide World of Sports radio.
Woodbridge: In my mind, Djokovic is still No 1
Djokovic, who holds the record for the most weeks spent at No 1, is now eighth-ranked in the world. But for Woodbridge, he is still No 1. “In my mind, the rankings this year are so skewed.
He is still the No.1 player in the world and to have him back is really important,” Woodbridge added. Several factors contributed to Djokovic now being ranked at No 8 in the world. For not being able to defend his Australian Open points, Djokovic lost 2,000 points.
Djokovic successfully defended his Wimbledon title, but still lost 2,000 points after the ATP removed ranking points from Wimbledon. Then, Djokovic lost more points after he was denied to compete at the US Open. Also, Djokovic missed four Masters tournaments this year, which also played a part in him dropping in the rankings.
But next January, Djokovic won’t have a single point to defend at the Australian Open and he will certainly be determined to make a strong return in Australia.
