Novak Djokovic will be ‘fuelled’ to use his latest American setback to propel him to further success this year, according to 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert.
The World No.1 recently withdrew from this week’s Indian Wells event due to his vaccination status preventing him from entering the United States. He hasn’t pulled out of the following event in Miami but it is likely just a matter of time before he confirms he won’t take any part in the swing nicknamed the ‘Sunshine Double’.
It means that Djokovic will turn his attention to the clay court swing which starts shortly after events in the US and Evert exclusively told Eurosport the North American snub will make the 22-time major champ even more ‘”determined” to achieve number 23 at Roland Garros in May.
Asked whether the latest setback would fuel Djokovic, Evert responded:
“Yeah, I think the more somebody tells Novak he can't do this, the more determined he is. When he has control of the situation, it gives him more fuel and it makes him more determined to succeed, and stick it in everybody's face at the same time, make his point. He is like the anti-hero sometimes, he seems to really rise to the occasion when he is challenged and when he's told 'no'.”
Evert reaffirmed her belief that the Serbian remains king of the men’s game, despite the emergence of players like Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz.
She added:
“It is an open field if Novak is not playing in the tournament. If he is playing in the tournament, he is always going to be the favourite. So even though he is not playing a full schedule because he can't because of the vaccination, I think in everybody's minds it really doesn't matter. He is still the No. 1 in the world. Whether he plays a full schedule or a three-quarter schedule, he is still number one in everybody's minds."
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