Novak Djokovic says he’s optimistic about getting a good reception at the 2023 Australian Open despite the deportation fiasco
World No 5 Novak Djokovic hopes to be welcomed whole-heartedly at the Australian Open as he makes his comeback after two years.
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Novak Djokovic - FirstSportz
World No 5 Novak Djokovic had a tough year due to his unvaccinated Covid-19 status. He was firm on his intention of not getting vaccinated either. He was forced to skip tournaments, especially all the tournaments in the North American swing. The Serb hopes to receive a good welcome at Down Under as he makes his comeback at Melbourne Park after two years.
It started with his deportation on the eve of his match despite entering the country with a valid medical exemption. His deportation caused a three-year visa ban. But Djokovic received a perfect end to his 2022 campaign by winning the Year-end Championship for the sixth time. He equaled the record with retired Swiss legend Roger Federer.
The 21-time will be aiming for his 10th title at Down Under. Along with that, he will have the chance to equal the record with Rafael Nadal. Djokovic is optimistic that he would be able to continue his dominance in Australia. He was the champion consecutively between 2019-2021. He admitted that he has been fortunate to be able to play for all these years in Australia while naming it his most successful Grand Slam.
“I always ask for the best from myself so let’s see. Over the years I’ve been really fortunate to start very strong in Australia and I love playing there. After obviously what happened earlier this year, hopefully, I can have a decent reception there. Hopefully, that can help me play some good tennis,” said Novak Djokovic during an interview.
Novak Djokovic’s 2022 season
He skipped playing two Grand Slam titles which are the Australian Open and the US Open. The only Grand Slam he won in 2022 was at Wimbledon where he clinched his 7th title. The former World No 1 won 18 out of his last 19 matches as he made it to four consecutive finals while managing to win three out of them.
Moreover, the 35-year-old is the fifth player in the Open Era to win 90 or more ATP singles titles. Out of the 91 titles, 38 have been Masters1000 titles. He unlocked another record to lead the list of most ATP-1000 Masters titles won without dropping a set. Novak Djokovic has won 11 times which is the most by a player in the Open Era. Rafael Nadal who won 8 times is second on the list while Federer with 7 times stands 3rd on the list.
The 21-time major champion will start the season at Adelaide International right before the Australian Open. He will have the chance of playing against players like Daniil Medvedev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Andy Murray amongst other top seeds of the tournament. Additionally, he is enjoying his time in the first edition of the World Tennis League as he is part of Team Falcons.
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Prateek Pradhan
(601 Articles Published)