“Didn’t they yell ‘Go Back to Russia’ to Medvedev?” Tennis Twitter gives Craig Tiley a reality check over him assuming the Australian crowd will treat Novak Djokovic well on his comeback

“Didn’t they yell ‘Go Back to Russia’ to Medvedev?” Tennis Twitter gives Craig Tiley a reality check over him assuming the Australian crowd will treat Novak Djokovic well on his comeback

Novak Djokovic, Craig Tiley, and Daniil Medvedev

21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic has been granted permission to travel to Australia in a couple of months irrespective of his vaccination status courtesy of relaxed COVID norms all around the world. Djokovic, who is unvaccinated, was deported from Australia earlier this year after a 10-day tussle with the Australian government and judiciary, and hence, wasn’t allowed to defend his Australian Open title.

Djokovic’s unvaccinated status didn’t allow him to compete in many big tournaments this year which included 2 majors and 4 Masters tournaments. Australian Open director Craig Tiley recently spoke about Djokovic’s un-ban and expressed his delight in having the 9-time champion back in Melbourne Park.

YouTube video

He said that he has great faith in the Australian crowd and deemed them ‘fair’. He added that the Australian public will be welcoming to everyone including Novak Djokovic as they celebrate ‘success’.

FS Video

“I have a great deal of confidence in the Australian crowd, we’re a very fair crowd. We celebrate success, and we reward that. I think the Australian public will enjoy coming to the Australian Open and I think they will welcome all players in a fair way,” Tiley said.

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Tennis fans recall the Australian crowd’s bias at the 2022 Australian Open

Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev

The Australian crowd is always thought of as a rather aggressive one. During the 2022 Australian Open final between Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev, they were very biased toward Nadal and even hurled derogatory terms at Medvedev. Fans on social media reminded Tiley of that and believe that the Australian crowd will be very tough on Djokovic- as it always has.

Djokovic will be gunning for a record 10th Australian Open title in January. He could also equal Nadal’s tally of 22 major titles. He will most probably be seeded 5th in the tournament and will be the pre-tournament favorite to win it Down Under.

Also Read: Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul respond to ‘Ego’ accusations over Rajeev Ram’s exclusion from the Davis Cup team, HEATED Twitter exchange ensues

Also Read: ‘Little bored’ Serena Williams prods fans with a comeback hint posting photos of her new racket