Home » Tennis » Novak Djokovic opens up on Davis Cup being held in Abu Dhabi

The World No.1 thinks that organisers need to find the right balance between money and tradition

Novak Djokovic recently shed some light on the news that the Davis Cup is set to move to Abu Dhabi for the next five years.

World No.1 thinks that organisers have to find the right balance between the money and the tradition going ahead in the tournament.

According to The Telegraph, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) is expected to confirm Abu Dhabi as the new home of the Davis Cup Finals next week and the deal will be for half a decade.

Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning his US Open 2021 first round clash
Djokovic is in favour of moving Davis Cup to Abu Dhabi

Speaking after his Davis Cup match on Friday against Dennis Novak which he won easily, the 20-time Grand Slam winner said:

“There is a lot of interest to bring Davis Cup or any other big tennis competition or sports competition to the Middle East, where economically they’re very strong and they can finance the big demands that you have for an organisation of such an important event.

“Now, the question is whether you follow the money, so to say, or you follow the tradition, or you find a balance between the two?. That’s always the big question on anybody’s mind. I’m somewhere in between. I think you need to respect the tradition and the history, and you need to stick to the things that are recognizable that make this competition so important for the sport.”

Davis Cup will be taking place in the Middle East for the next five years.

Lleyton Hewitt brands the idea ridiculous

The former Australian Champion was not at all impressed by the ITF decision of moving the Davis Cup to Abu Dhabi. He called out and said that the idea is completely ridiculous. The former World No.1 told reporters:

“I’ve only heard a rumour but I think it’s ridiculous, it’s not what Davis Cup is about. The Davis Cup was held in the highest regard, up there with the pinnacle of our sport in tennis.

“So if they’re going and selling the soul of the Davis Cup to the Middle East for another five years, I think it’s ridiculous, and they’re really killing the competition.”

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