Former World No 1 Novak Djokovic will be aiming for his sixth title in Turin as he aims to equal the record with the Swiss legend Roger Federer. He is part of the deadly Red Group. He remains to stay positive about his chances of playing at the 2023 Australian Open since he was debarred from playing in 2022 over his unvaccinated status against the COVID-19 virus.
For the records, he is the second-oldest player who qualified for the Year-end championship among the top 8 players after 36-year-old Rafael Nadal. He admitted to not feeling as young and energetic as the other young guys, but claims to be completely focused on his upcoming challenges. The Serb missed all the matches in the Northern swing and also in the Australian leg.
During a pre-tournament interview, the 21-time Grand Slam champion was thrilled to be asked about his uncle’s new business venture. He even went on to admit that he would love to share with others and remained skeptical about his chances of playing in Australia, which would be a great relief to him. Djokovic said that “I’ll be happy to share with these guys if they want to… Maybe before Australia when we are a bit more relaxed if I’m there as well. Thank You for asking me that. My uncle will be very happy,”.
Novak Djokovic is motivated to have a successful campaign at the year-end Championship
Djokovic remains one of the favorites to win the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin due to his impeccable performances in recent tournaments. Despite being forced to skip the US Open, he bounced back brilliantly and reached three consecutive ATP Finals, and managed to win two out of them. He became the fifth player in the Open Era to win 90 or more ATP titles with his win at Astana.
Despite having a tough year, he wants to end the 2022 season on a pleasant note as he looks forward to his campaign in Turin. He faces Stefanos Tsitsipas in his first match, which is scheduled for the second night of the championship. He admits it will be a long tournament which he looks forward to, but the cherry on the top will be if he manages to clinch the title after two years of back-to-back semi-final defeats.
The Wimbledon champion faced a major setback at the beginning of the year when he was deported from Australia even after reaching the country with a valid medical exemption which was later denied. As per the guidelines of the Australian government, once deported, the visa remains canceled for three years. At the time of writing, his chances to participate in the 2023 Australian Open stand on a cliffhanger with no official confirmation regarding the same.
