The Beijing Air was a Challenge for the Players

Written by: Staff on 11th October 2010

The Beijing Air was a Challenge for the Players

Gilles Simon (FRA) |

There was much talk during the China Open regarding the quality – or lack of it – of the Beijing air. Several days play took place under a yellow haze, and with Novak Djokovic having well-documented problems with his breathing the tournament offered up an extra challenge for him.

“Considering the air, I mean, what can you do? I mean, I don’t know; get into the chamber of the smoke, I guess, before the match, to get used to it,” he said after beating Gilles Simon to reach the semifinals. “It does irritate you a little bit, obviously, especially if you’re playing against somebody that you expect to play long rallies with them. We had so many long rallies, and it’s hard to recover when you don’t have fresh air. I don’t know. A box of oxygen or something on the bench would be great, but we don’t have it. I guess I will have to get used to it.”

Topics: Beijing, Bench, China, Extra Challenge, Fresh Air, Gilles Simon, Guess, Little Bit, Match, Novak Djokovic, Oxygen, Rallies, Yellow Haze