WATCH: “That scream at the end!” Young fan’s delight on receiving a souvenir from Novak Djokovic leaves the Serb with a big smile
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Novak Djokovic
Former World No.1 Novak Djokovic once again charmed tennis crowds as he distributed wrist bands and hand towels to kids in the stands following his Round of 16 victory against Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp at the Japan Open in Tokyo on Thursday.
“I haven’t played for over three months before Israel so I definitely am fresh physically and mentally motivated to do well,” Djokovic said after the match.
Last week in Tel Aviv, the Serb also gave his winning racquet to a young fan in the crowd.
Change in COVID scenario raises hope for Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open return
Djokovic recently received a positive hint towards his 2023 Australian Open return. Tournament director Craig Tiley signaled a relaxation in vaccination requirements because of “a very different environment with people travelling freely around the world.”
The Serb had to face a big share of public controversies in the recent past. In early 2022, the 21-time Grand Slam champion was booted out of Melbourne due to Australia’s anti-vaccine laws. It resulted in a lot of worldwide debate as the Serb had initially landed in Australia claiming that he had an exemption from Tennis Australia, only to be rejected later by Australia’s Supreme Court.
During court hearings, the Serb was reportedly detained in sub-standard conditions at a hotel. He was deported from Melbourne a day before the Australian Open began.
“We are at a different point in time now than we were nine months ago and I think it’s a very different environment with people travelling freely around the world and we hope to have all the best players here in January,” said the tournament director.
Tiley had earlier also supported Djokovic. “In many ways, it was a bit unfair to Novak. He said his medical information was private and confidential. He’s won the Australian Open nine times, which is truly remarkable. Of his 20 Grand Slam titles, almost half have been won here. I spent a lot of time with him. I fully understand his point of view, his medical situation is personal and he has the right to keep it to himself. He will unveil shortly this position,” Tiley had said in an interview with CODE in December 2021.
It’s still left to be seen what the final situation will be for Djokovic at the 2023 Australian Open but the world scenario sure is different this time around!
Also Read: Novak Djokovic’s heartwarming tribute leaves Roger Federer emotional
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Ashish Maggo
(191 Articles Published)