Novak Djokovic criticized the Italian Open after stating that the tournament has never had a great reputation for the quality of their courts.
The world number 1 was unhappy with the condition of the Italian Open main court after he struggled enough to claim victory over Grigor Dimitrov in the third round. he voiced his concerns to the referee about the quality of the pitch prompting organizers to water the area in an attempt to improve it. At times, he and Dimitrov had to deal with bad bounces and struggled with their footwork.
Speaking about his recent experience to journalists, the Serbian national believes a lack of matches on the court ahead of the tournament could be one of the reasons for the court quality problems. He added that he felt the smaller court 5, where he had training sessions, felt better to play on because it was already being used by someone else.
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“Roma have never had a great reputation for the quality of the pitch, to be honest,” admitted Novak Djokovic. “I know everyone who guards the court. I consider them friends. I know them for 15 years and I relate to them very well. I can’t blame them for that.”
“The thing that is quite interesting to understand is how many matches of tennis they play on the court before the tournament starts. I think the season before I asked and they didn’t play much.”
“If you don’t use the court and you have clay courts, this kind of thing happens. The field is broken. You will find lots of holes. You’re going to have an uneven course, really bad bounce, and a lot of dirt.”
Djokovic added, ” remember maybe ten seasons ago, someone told me they brought in someone from Roland Garros and that season the course was the best.”
“I don’t know why they haven’t called him again because they are the best clay court specialists in the world. Now, there’s not much you can do. They’re just plugging holes here and there. I think it’s a reality that I have to accept. Hopefully, as time goes on and with this tournament, the court will improve.”
This is not the first time the Italian Open has been criticized for the condition of its facilities. Last week, tennis player from Romania, Sorana Cirstea asked to speak with the tournament supervisor during her second round match against Jelena Ostapenko which was held at the Grand Stand Arena.
To the referee, Cirstea was heard saying, “I don’t understand how they made us fight on this court. This is unplayable.”
