Djokovic Disappointed in Lance Armstrong Downfall
Reigning U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic was disappointed in the doping downfall of American cyclist Lance Armstrong, whose seven Tour de France titles have been stripped by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
Armstrong, who won the world's most famous bicycle race every year from 1999 through 2005, said Thursday he would not fight charges by U.S. anti-doping officials that his success came as part of a doping conspiracy.
"When I heard that story, and many others, I'm disappointed as an athlete, because I know how much it takes to get to where we are and on the top of our own sport, how much sacrifice, commitment, hard work," Djokovic said.
"In the end we are all seeking to have pure sport. I'm happy that in tennis we do not have that many cases and we are trying to keep that going to keep tradition and to protect the integrity of the sport.
"That's something that sends a strong message about our sport also to young kids because they look up for heroes and they look for role models."
Djokovic, 25, has been that to the youth in his native Serbia and beyond for years and his fame could rise even higher with a repeat as U.S. Open champion, which would bring him $2.9 million in prize money.
"I do feel physically stronger and better prepared than I did last year," Djokovic said. "Mentally I had some ups and downs throughout the season, but I think that was maybe expected in a way. It's normal to have ups and downs."
World No. 2 Djokovic won his third Grand Slam title in a row in January at the Australian Open by outlasting Nadal in a record-long final that went nearly six hours.
Djokovic won at Miami and reached the French Open final, where Nadal denied him a career Grand Slam with a four-set triumph.
He also fell to Federer in a Wimbledon semifinal but bounced back with a victory in Toronto and a run to the Cincinnati final before falling to Federer in the last big U.S. Open tuneup.
"I was very glad that I had a very successful Toronto and Cincinnati tournament," Djokovic said. "Coming into U.S. Open, it was very important for me to get into some hard court matches."
Djokovic dismissed the notion he has a perfect draw with Nadal absent due to lingering knee trouble and Federer and Murray on the opposite side of the draw.
"I don't think there is a perfect draw," he said. It's a question of luck.
"There are 128 players here who have plenty of motivation to perform their best in the last major of the year so I'm sure that they want to cause some upsets in the opening round.
"I'm truly taking one step at a time. I've had good and bad draws. It's something I cannot affect. I'm not calculating or predicting anything. I'm just trying to focus on my game, which is the most important thing."
Nadal will definitely be missed, Djokovic said.
"It's a loss for the tournament and for tennis itself because he's greatly appreciated, successful and a very popular athlete around the world," Djokovic said. "I wish him a speedy recovery."
Source: Agence France Presse
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