Novak Djokovic reportedly ready to play at the US Open but wants exemption to quarantine

Source: Adam Hunger/AP

World no.1 Novak Djokovic is reportedly set to take part in the US Open, but only if the officials agree to waive off the quarantine requirement upon returning to Europe.

Meanwhile players around the world are still in doubt whether to take part in the upcoming US Open after the organisers announced the Grand Slam would go ahead despite an ongoing pandemic. Officials decided to go ahead with the major tournament from 31 August to 13 September, with the Rome and Madrid Masters planned between the French Open a few weeks later. The issue with some players is missing the Madrid and Rome Masters could impact their ranking points more than missing the Grand Slam in New York. 

Players such as Australian Nick Kyrgios have also expressed concerns about holding the tournament in the current climate. Rafael Nadal is set to miss defending his US Open title to prepare for a 13th Roland Garros.

Source: Adria Tour

Serbian Djokovic has been seen practicing on hard courts after cleared of coronavirus. He was recently forced to apologise after the Adria Tour he organised was forced to be cancelled due to safety concerns around the virus. Staged in his hometown Serbia, as well as neighbouring Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the event was cancelled after Grigor Dimitrov confirmed he had tested positive for the virus. Since then, Viktor Troicki, Borna Coric, Djokovic and his wife Jelena and coach Goran Ivanisevic have also revealed positive COVID-19 tests. Dimitrov, Coric and Jelena announced they too recovered from COVID-19.

Team Europe reunited for a dinner together in Shanghai

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal together with their Laver Cup Team Europe mates and captain were pictured together having dinner in Shanghai this week. The picture was shared by Marin Cilic in his Instagram account.

Amazing time with great guys. #TeamEurope gathering in Shanghai. #Tomasgetwellsoon @rogerfederer @rafaelnadal @domithiem @alexzverev123 #bjornborg

A post shared by Marin Čilić (@marincilic_official) on Oct 9, 2017 at 10:40am PDT

Federer and Nadal who share one of the most intense rivalries in tennis history are obviously became teammates for the first time and they were even paired up as doubles partners at the inaugural Laver Cup.

Team Europe which was also featuring Dominic Thiem, Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych, Alexander Zverev and captain Bjorn Borg took the championship after thrashing Team World 15-9 in Prague.

The victorious team, unfortunately without Berdych, was reunited on Monday as the dined together ahead of the Shanghai Masters.

If you're a big fan of online betting for ATP tennis matches, do follow up on the performances of the players in the Shanghai Masters during this period.

Source: Laver Cup website

Zverev who sat next to Nadal, also posted a similar group photo on Instagram with the caption: "Awesome dinner back with my #teameurope teammates".

Federer reposted the picture, alongside the words: "We all missed the Laver Cup so much that we had to have a reunion in Shanghai... Tomas Berdych we saved you a seat!"

Berdych exited the China Open in the last 16 courtesy of a shock defeat at the hands of Andrey Rublev. Nadal has better luck, beating Nick Kyrgios on last Sunday's final in Beijing.

Federer, meanwhile, did not enter the ATP 500 tournament, instead opting to save himself for this week's ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament.

Get Into The Spirit Of The Aussie Open!

The Australian Open is upon us! The draws have been announced and you can find the match-ups at the official Australian Open webpage. The players are descending on Melbourne, and for the next two weeks we'll get a good look at the world's best professionals during the first Grand Slam event of the 2017 season. For a lot of tennis fans, it may as well be a two-week holiday signaling the return of the sport. Here are a few fun tips for fully embracing the spirit of the Aussie Open.

First, you should consider adjusting your sleep schedule to whatever extent possible. That is, If you live in Europe or the United States and you want to watch the Open, you'll be faced with some tricky timing decisions. Matches can be going on in the middle of the night or the early hours of the morning, and it's a shame to miss out on the action when there are only four Grand Slams to watch each year. Naturally, you have to account for work, family, and other aspects of your day-to-day schedule. Within reason, use the early days of the Open to get on a sleep routine that allows you to be up for the best matches. You won't regret it when you catch that epic five-setter!

Second, you should think about getting out on the courts yourself. It's difficult to watch an event like the Aussie Open and not be inspired to play, so it's a great time to seize the momentum to learn some tennis skills on your own. If your game got a little rusty during the off-season you can get back into shape by searching for a private coach online using Play Your Court to find tailored instructions for the parts of your game need the most work. Get a few lessons under your belt and you'll have that backhand ready in no time for the tournament.

Third, you may want to get your hands on some of the official clothing being put out for the stars at the Australian Open. As always, Nike has put out a collection for its signature athletes and Baseline has broken down the looks you'll see sported by the likes of Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Eugenie Bouchard, and Nick Kyrgios, but there are other options as well. You might get inspired by any number of player outfits during the tournament, and you can always check out the official shop of the Open online. There's no need to go nuts, but a new tennis shirt or an Aussie Open towel makes for a nice way to embrace the tournament.

Then you should take some time to read up on the exciting young talent starting to impact the game. If you're reading about tennis, you already know all about the top players but 2017 is looking like a particularly interesting year in tennis because of a lot of young players who are beginning to challenge the old guard. On the women's side, 22-year-old Ukrainian Elina Svitolina has secured the 11-seed and Australian Daria Gavrilova (also just 22) will be looking to thrill local fans and improve upon her ranking at number 25 in the WTA. On the men's side, 25-year-old Grigor Dimitrov is looking to make good on his sensational potential, and The Australian reports that 19-year-old German Alexander Zverev is fresh off a win over Federer and is seeded 24th. These are just a few of the names that could make this a particular
ly interesting tournament.

Finally, just kick back and enjoy the tennis. It's going to be a wonderful two weeks!

McEnroe urges Kyrgios to decide on tennis career following US Open injury

After yet another major tournament finished in disappointment for Nick Kyrgios, legendary figure within the game John McEnroe has called upon the Australian to seriously consider his future within the game, believing that the 21-year-old should retire if his heart is not in it. Kyrgios had been displaying his usual lackadaisical demeanour during his third-round US Open tie against Illya Marchenko, before eventually retiring from the match with a suspected hip flexor injury. Australia’s number one was trailing two sets to one at the time, with Kyrgios stating that he felt like he had been “hit by a bus”.

Image via gq.com

This is not the first time in which McEnroe has vented his frustration at the way in which Kyrgios acts on court, previously lamenting the player’s tactics during a match with Andy Murray at Wimbledon earlier this year. McEnroe believes that such injuries are a result of Kyrgios not being dedicated enough, pointing to a lack of training when compared to the top players in the game. However, despite this, the loss was Kyrgios’s first in 21 matches against unseeded opponents at grand slam events, and he has recently climbed to a career high of no.15 in the world rankings. Perhaps Kyrgios could take up a career in online blackjack as you don’t have to keep a straight face at online casino’s such as Australia’s Lucky Nugget Casino.

Kyrgios’ compatriot Bernard Tomic is never too far away from controversy himself, with the 23-year-old becoming embroiled in a sledging match with a supporter during his first-round US Open loss to Damir Dzumhur. The Australian was heard calling the fan a ‘peasant’, before launching into a sleazy attack for all to hear. Both Kyrgios and Tomic were both part of Australia’s recent Davis Cup victory over Slovakia, and having secured their place in the world group, will next take on the Czech Republic in their 2017 campaign.

Meanwhile, Kyrgios has received support from another American tennis legend in the form of Andre Agassi. Agassi sees plenty of himself in the young Australian, believing that Kyrgios has all the talent to be one of the best players on the tour. Perhaps kyrgios should give Agassi a call and pick his brains over how to turn talent into titles.