By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday March 21, 2023
Speaking to CNN in Dubai, Novak Djokovic says he has no regrets about his decision to remain unvaccinated and the fact that he has missed Indian Wells and Miami for the second consecutive year, which has contributed to his drop in the rankings.
With Djokovic on the sidelines this month, Carlos Alcaraz won the title at Indian Wells, and the 22-time Grand Slam champion says the rising Spaniard deserves to hold the top spot.
“I congratulate Alcaraz,” he said. “He absolutely deserves to come back to No. 1.”
Djokovic, who will make his return on the European clay this spring as he mounts his charge for a third Roland-Garros title, says he wants to focus on the present.
“It’s a pity that I wasn’t able to play in Indian Wells and Miami,” he said. “I love those tournaments. I had plenty of success there. But at the same time, it is the conscious decision I made and I knew that there is always a possibility that I won’t go. And it is the current state or current situation that I hope will change for later this year for the US Open. That is the most important tournament for me on the American soil.”
No regrets for the soon to be 36-year-old.
“No, I have no regrets,” Djokovic said in an interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson. “I’ve learned through life that regrets only hold you back and basically make you live in the past. And I don’t want to do that. I also don’t want to live too much in the future. I want to be as much as in the present moment, but of course think about future, create a better future.”