Andy Roddick has offered an explanation as to why Novak Djokovic is not playing doubles at the Olympic Games.
On the eve of the global sports event it was reported that the 37-year-old would only represent his country in the singles competition at his fifth Olympics.
The Serbian has made a solid start to what could possibly be his final opportunity to win the coveted gold medal.
He lost just one game against Matthew Ebden in the first round before easing past great rival Rafael Nadal to reach round three in what was their 60th match against one another.
Why does Andy Roddick think Novak Djokovic chose not to play doubles at the Olympics?
Djokovic has been battling a knee injury since tearing his right meniscus in June.
He had surgery to repair the issue and made a miraculous recovery to compete at Wimbledon less than a month later, and made it to the final.
Djokovic has looked strong in Paris so far, but it is still an issue as he continues to wear a protective knee covering to compete in matches.
It is for this reason why Roddick believes Djokovic chose not to play doubles as well as singles at the Paris Olympic Games.
“Gold is gold. There is no difference,” Roddick said on his ‘Served Podcast’. “Singles or doubles. People are like Novak needs a singles gold. No, he just wants a gold because he doesn’t have it.
“He’s not playing doubles because his knee isn’t ready. That just means he values his chances more in singles than doubles which is accurate. That’s the right thing. Anything can really happen in doubles.”
Who is Novak Djokovic’s next opponent?
Djokovic’s quest for Olympic gold continues when he faces Germany’s Dominik Koepfer in round three.
Despite a late flurry from Nadal, Djokovic held off his advances and stormed back to claim a 6-1, 6-4 victory in the second round.
The first set in particular, was one of Djokovic’s finest sets played since returning from injury and he is feeling confident ahead of his next match.
“At 6-1, 4-0, I got a little bit too comfortable,” Djokovic said. “At 4-1 I played a little sloppy service game and you can’t give any chances to Nadal because he is going to use them and come back. Especially on this court.
“The crowd getting involved but it was a crucial game at 4-4, trying to break his serve and then serve against the wind with new balls. It was a very close encounter but I am very pleased with the way I played.”
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