Novak Djokovic doesn’t shy away from building “special connections” off the court

Novak Djokovic opens up about building a connection with an immigrant he helped when detained. 

Novak Djokovic doesn’t shy away from building “special connections” off the court

Novak Djokovic (Via Open Source)

2022 was quite a rough year for the Serbian Novak Djokovic, who wasn’t allowed to play in the Australian Open.

The whole world is aware of the incident where Djokovic was detained at an immigration hotel in Melbourne, where he was deported back to his country after spending five nights at the hotel. 

YouTube video

As expected, this entire incident sparked many controversies around the world, and it still gives the Serbian chills as he walks past the terminal. 

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From walking the same path to recognizing the same man, Djokovic reminisces about the dark time. However, because of his publicity, many other detainees were also released, and World No. 1 even admitted to having a special connection with one of them. 

From what I’ve understood, most of the detainees were released. It was one good thing that came out of all that… because of me, that place got so much media attention, the pressure from the media followed & people were released
Said Novak Djokovic to the AO Press.

In a recent interview, Djokovic revealed having a special connection with another detainee, Medhi. He was an Iranian who was detained for nine whole years before being released at the age of 24. 

I feel some kind of special connection with Mehdi. We keep in touch, he lives in Minnesota now, so we will see each other when I go to the US. He told me that he was grateful for the attention my case brought. 
Continuing further, he added

Djokovic is now in touch with the Iranian and also knows his whereabouts. He further continued by ensuring that he would meet up with his friends when he went to the States.

It was the publicity from Djokovic’s case that helped him and the others escape the detention. 

Novak Djokovic went on a rampage after the 2022 Australian Open incident that sent ripples across the tennis world

Novak Djokovic wasn’t allowed to play the Australian Open for the first time in his career, which sent shockwaves across the tennis world. But no one was ready for what came next.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image via: Imago)

The Serbian went on a rampage that allowed no player to even come close to him. After his 2022 Wimbledon victory, the Serbian went on to win the next few season-ending tournaments before starting 2023 with an emotional return at the Australian Open. 

With more victories, the Serbian almost closed out the year with all four Grand Slam wins. However, he missed the 2023 Wimbledon by mere points but hopes to achieve more this year. 

He won his 24th Grand Slam last year and ended the year as World No. 1. Continuing his brilliant form, the Serbian defends his Australian Open title and looks forward to winning a golden slam this year.

After a tough first-round match, the 36-year-old looks to continue his golden form into the tournament and hopes to start the year well. 

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