"He said one day he will definitely come to Pune" - Djokovic will compete in India according to tournament director

| by Zachary Wimer

The Tata Open in Pune is a very interesting event in the ATP calendar and while some players love it, others avoid it.

The reason is simple. The first Grand Slam of the season takes part in Australia and it's played quite early after the season start. Prior to that, there are usually at least three tournaments played in Australia or New Zealand and the Tata Open in Pune is the only event played somewhere else.

It's played in India and because of travelling, many players prefer to be in Australia for longer time to prepare for the event. Therefore, many lower-ranked players get a chance to compete at this event and collect valuable ranking points.

However, in a recent interaction, Tata Open tournament Prashant Sutar spoke about the possibility of the 21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic competing, as he admitted that they spoke about his participation.

"The main issue is that they play in the Australian Open. Novak is very particular about his schedule and what he eats and what he does. And I don't know if unvaccinated foreigners are allowed in India. Are they?" tournament director Prashant Sutar said.

"Novak was on our top list. I will not disclose the figures, but whatever we would have spent we would have recovered in terms of other revenues. He said that if he wouldn't have gone to Australia, he would have seriously considered coming to Pune," he said.

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"I had met him personally in French Open. I sat and discussed with him and his agent. I have been meeting him for the last five years and he said that one day he will definitely come to Pune. I guess he is a man of his words and one day we will see him play his tournament," he revealed.

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