US tennis player Danielle Collins has hit out at men’s world No. 1 Novak Djokovic over his opposition to the COVID-19 protocols proposed by the US Open organizers, saying that players need to start earning money again.
The hard-court major is scheduled to begin on Aug. 31, but Djokovic has said that it would be “impossible” to play under the protocols, which would restrict players to their hotels with only one support staff.
The 17-time Grand Slam winner earlier urged players to contribute to a fund to help lower-ranked professionals affected by the shutdown, which began in early March and is to continue at least until end of next month.
Photo: AP
“This is a serious contradiction,” Collins, who made the semi-finals of last year’s Australian Open, wrote on Instagram.
“No one has been able to play sanctioned events or make money since February,” she wrote.
“This is a massive opportunity for players to start making money again, and here we have the top player in the world saying only being able to bring one person with [him] will be too difficult,” she wrote.
Collins urged Djokovic, who heads the men’s ATP Tour players council, to support the US Open organizers.
“It’s easy when someone’s made US$150 million throughout their career to try and tell people what to do with their money, and then turn down playing in the US Open,” she wrote.
Australian Nick Kyrgios presented a contrasting view to Collins, saying that the US Open plans should be shelved.
“The ATP is trying to make the US Open go ahead,” Kyrgios wrote on Twitter, after an initial post asking Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer whether the Grand Slam should be held.
“Selfish with everything going on at the moment. Obviously Covid, but also with the riots, together we need to overcome these challenges before tennis returns in my opinion,” Kyrgios wrote, apparently referring to protests across the US in the wake of the death of George Floyd while in police custody.
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