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Dubai (AFP) – Serbian Novak Djokovic confirmed that he hopes to receive a warm welcome from the public upon his return to the Australian Open next month, following the drama of his deportation from the country early this year for not receiving the anti-coronavirus vaccine.
Djokovic traveled to Melbourne in January hoping to defend his title and win the tenth Australian Open, the first of the four Grand Slams. However, his visa was canceled because he did not receive the coronavirus vaccine, and thus did not comply with the laws imposed on expatriates. He was held in a hotel housing refugees before being deported from the country.
As a result of his deportation, Djokovic, 35, was banned from entering Australia once more before the authorities reversed this decision.
The world number five expressed his happiness at having the opportunity to compete for the tenth title in Melbourne and to equal the record of Spain’s Rafael Nadal in the number of major titles (22).
“I always ask the best of myself, so let’s see. Over the years I’ve been really lucky because I started strong in Australia and I love playing there,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an exhibition tournament in Dubai on Friday.
“After what happened earlier this year, I hope to get a decent reception there and hopefully that will help me to do well.”
For the same reason, he was prevented from traveling to New York, which also prevented him from participating in the US Open, following winning his seventh title at Wimbledon in July.
He also achieved in 2022 the titles of the Tel Aviv, Astana and Rome Masters tournaments and the Final Championship with 42 wins and seven defeats during the season.
© 2022 AFP