Novak Djokovic has come up with a unique idea to be introduced in the game of tennis. The Serbian great suggested that dancers should be brought on court during breaks. Djokovic did admit that the sport has a history and tradition to be proud of but at the same time he pointed out that it has been slow in keeping the “pace with the evolution of society.”
The 37-year-old Serbian was up against Tomas Machac at the Rod Laver Arena on Friday night and ended up winning the fixture 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. The 10-time Australian Open had a confrontation with a spectator during his third-round win against Machac. Later, Djokovic jokingly invited him for a drink during the post-match interview.
Novak Djokovic after beating Machac at Australian Open*someone yells from the crowd*
Novak: “Sorry mate. I have a wife. We can have a drink though . Maybe you’ve had a few already.”
“We have the history and tradition that we are proud of and makes our sport different from other sports. But at the same time, you know, I think we have been a little bit behind the other sports with changes and trying to keep the pace with the evolution of society and the new generation that we all know doesn’t have that much of a great attention span, and they want the movement,” Djokovic said, as per Daily Express.
“So yeah, I think that we should try to look to connect more with the younger people and bring them. I want to see a little bit more entertainment. For example, why wouldn’t we consider doing something between the sets like the Super Bowl or, I don’t know, the NBA, right? When there is a timeout, they have, you know, dancers come in and this and that. I wouldn’t have problem with that. Nice dancers, you know, there for a few minutes of break so I can relax my nerves and think about something else,” Djokovic added.
Djokovic required two hours and 22 minutes to get the better of Czech 26th seed Machac. The victory marked Djokovic’s entry into the fourth round of the Australian Open for the 17th time. Overall, he reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the 66th time in his 77th appearance at a major.
Djokovic has also become just the second man to reach this stage of the Australian Open at the age of 37 or older since 1988. Djokovic will next take on Jiri Lehecka at the Australian Open. A triumph at the Australian Open for Djokovic this time will help him in winning a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title and 100th trophy overall.
