Novak Djokovic says he plans to defend his title at Wimbledon this year and supports the decision by the ATP men’s tour to withhold ranking points from that tournament as a show of unity among players — even though the move will negatively affect his hold on the No. 1 spot.
Djokovic called the All England Club’s ban of players from Russia and Belarus over the invasion of Ukraine “a mistake,” and said Wimbledon’s organizers did a poor job of communicating about the issue.
He said he thought there could have been room for a compromise but instead it is a “lose-lose situation for everyone.”
Djokovic spoke in response to a reporter’s question after his first-round victory at the French Open on Monday night.
Novak Djokovic’s first Grand Slam match in 7 1/2 months went about as well as possible.
The No. 1-seeded Djokovic opened his title defense at the French Open with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 victory in less than two hours over Yoshihito Nishioka. He improved to 18-0 for his career in the first round at Roland Garros.