Rafter on Djokovic's participation in Brisbane: "This is a serious tournament".
Pat Rafter spoke about Novak Djokovic's participation in the Brisbane tournament. He took the opportunity to criticize players who play exhibitions: "Brisbane isn't just a preparation tournament for the Australian Open, it's a serious tournament.
You have to make sure you play your best game here. Being here, preparing, that's what you have to do. A lot of people go for money, go to the Middle East or wherever, but for me, that's not the best way to prepare for the Australian Open."
Brisbane tournament director Cam Pearson, meanwhile, welcomed Djokovic's participation: "He's been here before, and he knows what to expect.
We've had Roger Federer for several years, then Rafael Nadal.
Now we have Novak again. We've been incredibly blessed to have all three "GOATs", and you could argue that Djokovic is the "GOAT" all by himself.
The statisticians among us will remember that Roger won his 1000th ATP Tour singles match on this court. What a fairy tale it would be if Novak won his 100th title on the same court."
