Novak Djokovic is finding his footing in 2018 after a long period of difficulty that saw him undergo elbow surgery, experience disarray with his coaching team and struggle with his form. The last thing he needs is to lose his footing on the red clay just when his game is coming together.
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That’s why he was upset when Court Philippe-Chatrier groundcrews elected not to water the court after the first set of his round of 16 victory over Fernando Verdasco on Sunday. Both Djokovic and Verdasco felt that the clay was slippery (and reportedly Rafael Nadal has said that he feels the clay was more slippery this year than in other seasons) and could have used some water, but they were not involved in the conversation about when to water the courts.
After the match Djokovic explained why he was frustrated with the decision.
“What I don’t like is that there is no participation of the players,” Djokovic told reporters. “So they don’t ask players—we are the ones who are playing and sliding and not sliding, so we can give them the most important feedback. It doesn’t seem like they care too much about our opinion, and that’s something I don’t like.”
You can hear the full press conference below:
Djokovic had a calm discussion with the chair umpire early in the second set, and expressed similar views on court.
“If we reach the consensus that we should water or not, that’s okay with me." He said in press. "If majority decides that it shouldn’t be watered, I’ll be okay with the decision. But I think we deserve to be part of it.”