Todd Woodbridge claims Novak Djokovic as the “heavy favorite” to win the 2023 Australian Open, says “it’s important to have him back”


Todd Woodbridge claims Novak Djokovic as the “heavy favorite” to win the 2023 Australian Open, says “it’s important to have him back”

Todd Woodbridge and Novak Djokovic(Image: FirstSportz)

World No 5 Novak Djokovic faced one of the major mishaps of his career when he was deported from Down Under due to his unvaccinated status. He had entered the country on a valid medical exemption which was later denied. But he got a huge relief when the federal government allowed him to participate in the 2023 Australian Open with his visa ban revoked. Todd Woodbridge was pleased with the fact that the best players would compete in 2023 including the Serb.

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The former World No 1 remained firm on his stance for neither getting vaccinated nor having any intention to get vaccinated and hence failed to defend his title. He rather chose to bear the consequences due to his strong stand as he had earlier stated that he wouldn’t make any sort of compromise with his health. Due to this, his unvaccinated status became one of the most discussed topics throughout the year with varied opinions about the Serbian legend and his decision.

The former Australian player went on to claim that Novak Djokovic will be the favorite to win the tournament and will record his tenth title victory. He stated that the competition becomes interesting with all the best players competing for the title. He further opened up about his thoughts on the rankings and claimed that he still considers the 7-time Wimbledon champion as the No 1 player.

Woodbridge said that “I think that’s the best scenario for the tournament because we want the best players playing at the Australian Open. . Given the fact that Novak has won it nine times, he goes into it now as a heavy favorite after not being allowed to play this year. In my mind, the rankings this year are so skewed. He [Djokovic] is still the No. 1 player in the world and to have him back is really important.

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Novak Djokovic satisfied with his overall performance of the year

Novak Djokovic – FirstSportz

The 21-time Grand Slam winner ended the year on a positive note by winning the 2022 ATP Finals for the sixth time. The win marked his fifth title of the year and the second player to achieve this feat in 2022 apart from Carlos Alcaraz. He became the only player to win the ATP Finals title in three different decades. He took away the hefty prize money of $4.7 million for being the undefeated champion.

Due to his unvaccinated status, he had forced to skip two Grand Slam tournaments of the year. After the US Open, he reached four consecutive finals and managed to win three out of them. Novak Djokovic was flawless on his comeback as he won 17 out of his last 18 matches.

Despite having an unfortunate start to the year followed by a lot of criticism, he was completely satisfied with the way the year ended. He even credited the backing of his team and family for being the strongest pillars of support during difficult times. He has even admitted that he does not lack any motivation to go forward for a few more years.

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