Melbourne will welcome Novak Djokovic with open arms at the Australian Open in January after being banned in 2022
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Novak Djokovic
Sanity and sanctity was restored to the Australian Open on Tuesday with the immigration authorities revoking the three-year entry ban on Novak Djokovic. It means the winner of 21 Grand Slam titles will be competing again at the Rod Laver arena from January 16 to 29, 2023, after being shown the door in January 2022.
For weeks and months, the topic of Novak has been raging, if he could return to Australia. He has been the hottest winner in melting Melbourne, having clinched nine titles. It’s a superhuman feat, given the conditions in the other part of the hemisphere, where dry heat is a huge factor.
One has to rewind to the January of this year when Novak entered and exited Melbourne in the most shameful way. Agreed, he is a known anti-vaxxer, yet, it was the Aussie immigration that had goofed up, big time. To have given him exemption, allowed him to enter, and then lock him up in a detention dump hotel was weird.
The battles in court followed, not the tennis court, but courts of law. Once Novak was ejected, there was a sense of relief for some and disbelief for a few. His return back home was a long, hard one, filled with loads of emotions as he had been treated shabbily.
Return of Novak Djokovic, the Serbian King will be good for tennis as his rivalry with Rafael Nadal will be mouth-watering in the truest sense
Tuesday’s overturn of the ban on him restores his dignity, which should fire him up for the big bash at the Rod Laver Arena. After all, he has been The King there, knowing the perimeters of the court like the back of his hand. Having watched Novak play a few times in Melbourne, one thing is certain, the kind of fan following he has is unmatched. What happened in January 2022 needs to be forgotten.
The way the Covid 19 situation has evolved around the world, one thing is certain, people have learnt to deal with the virus in different ways. Those who have taken the jobs and those who have avoided the jabs are conscious of what is in store. There was no way Australia could deny Novak a re-entry as so much sponsorship money is riding on the Grand Slam because of his presence.
It is altogether another matter that Australia is treating Covid in a more friendly way over the last few months. Be it at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, women’s cricket, or at the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup held in Australia, the response to an athlete testing positive for the virus has changed dramatically.
There is no being ostracized and players are even competing despite testing positive. It was the same case at Wimbledon as well, where Novak won the title this July. Viewed passionately from a tennis fans’ perspective, the return of Novak is big news for Australia and ticket sales will soar, especially the night session.
That brings us to the next question, if the other dramatis personae in the script, Rafael Nadal will also show up in Melbourne. It has been an up and down year for Rafa, though winning two Grand Slam titles in 2022 — Australian Open and French Open — signaled his intent.
Papa Rafa has now modified his service action after the abdominal muscle tear and should be a certainty at Melbourne mania in January 2023.
He does not have a record similar to that of his arch-rival, Novak, Down Under. Yet, you got to show respect to the left-handed Spaniard who owns 22 Grand Slam titles. For all those who think Rafa is old and Novak is fitter, remember one thing, we are seeing the best in these two protagonists in top-flight tennis. These two men produce such a rich tapestry of tennis, the winner is the fan, which numbers billions.
Forget the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time Debate) for a while, now that Roger Federer has retired. Please watch these two masters compete, even if it means the draw offers a chance for them to have a go at each other later in the draw, possibly, at the Australian Open. This year was filled with all bizarre stuff in the tennis tour, where the roles played by the ATP and WTA were lousy.
To have banned players from Russia and Ukraine in London was madness. Here is hoping there is sanctity back in the tennis tour, with the first serve in Melbourne. Love All.
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)