Novak Djokovic now says he hopes the US Open takes place this year

After his recent comments decrying the extreme conditions being proposed for the US Open, Novak Djokovic has now done an about-turn of sorts. The Serb said in a press conference yesterday that he hopes the 2020 edition of the New York Slam does take place, assuming that the COVID-19 situation normalizes soon.

The World No. 1, who has also copped criticism for the lack of social distancing measures at the just-concluded Belgrade leg of the Adria Tour, further pointed out that different countries are handling the pandemic differently.

During the interaction with the media, Novak Djokovic was asked about the possible timeline for the resumption of the tennis season. The 2020 Australian Open winner replied that he wasn't sure if any significant tournament could happen this year, but was optimistic about the future - with the hope that tennis resumes at the US Open.

"What the situation is going to look like now in our calendar after coronavirus, we don't know," Djokovic said. "We don't know when the season is going to resume. We're all doing our best so that it'll be at the US Open already, on hard court."

Every country treats coronavirus differently: Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is a 17-time Grand Slam Champion

Novak Djokovic successfully conducted the first leg of the Adria Tour in Belgrade a few days ago. Dominic Thiem emerged victorious in that mini-competition, where fans showed up in huge numbers. The players even partied together after the charity event, which elicited concerns from the tennis community about the safety measures in place at the venue.

Huge party for Djokovic, Zverev & friends after #AdriaTour 1st stage in Belgrade 🎉(Video via @BenoitMaylin) pic.twitter.com/1HRLNpON5E

— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) June 15, 2020

Looking at the way Novak Djokovic and Co enjoyed their time in Serbia, it seems like the European nation is handling the pandemic in drastically different fashion than the US. Djokovic hinted at exactly that during the interview, when asked to elaborate on the specific challenges that the various host cities of tournaments would face in the coming months:

"It is difficult because the situation is different everywhere. Simply, each country, each part of the world, treats coronavirus differently. Everyone has different figures, different measures. I hope everything will get back to normal soon, and then we'll see. It is definitely our big wish to stage the tournament, yes."

Novak Djokovic had earlier stated the restrictions laid down by the organizers were too tough to follow

The US Tennis Association all but confirmed yesterday that the US Open will take place as per the original schedule, behind closed doors. But several top players, including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Ashleigh Barty, Simona Halep and Nick Kyrgios, have expressed reservations about playing in the hardcourt Slam.

The ATP is trying to make the US Open go ahead. Selfish with everything going on at the moment. Obviously Covid, but also with the riots, together we need to overcome these challenges before tennis returns in my opinion. https://t.co/tEHPvr4miB

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) June 11, 2020

The Adria Tour received a mixed response from the tennis universe, as the criticism about the social distancing measures kept mounting with each new video cropping up on social media. There is also reportedly a direct risk to Novak Djokovic himself, after a basketball player who attended the same event as him tested positive for the virus.