A few weeks ago, Novak Djokovic received permission to travel to Australia next month. 2022 has been a rather turbulent year for the Serbian star, who has paid dearly for his decision not to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
The former number 1 in the world had to give up the Australian Open and the US Open, in addition to suffering serious image damage. Also due to his vaccination status, the 35-year-old Belgrade missed all of the US Masters 1000.
His season took a different turn on the grass at Wimbledon, where Nole won for the fourth time in a row. The Serb thus equaled Pete Sampras to seven victories at Church Road and rose to 21 Slams, just one behind Rafael Nadal’s all-time record.
As if that weren’t enough, Goran Ivanisevic’s protégé won the ATP Finals for the sixth time (tying Roger Federer’s record). Djokovic will begin his 2023 playing the Adelaide ATP, before going on the hunt for his tenth seal at Melbourne Park.
In an interview with ‘News Corp’, Alistair MacDonald spoke of the reception that Novak Djokovic Oceania could have: “In the two weeks that Djokovic has been in quarantine in Adelaide in 2021, we have seen that he has a large number of followers here.
The pandemic has made everyone nervous and we already know what happened to Nole at the beginning of the year. I think it’s time to turn the page, 2023 represents a new chapter. It’s not for me to say how he will be received when he sets foot in Australia, but he is a great player and he will generate a lot of interest.”
Recently, the Australian legend Paul McNamee defended the Serbian champion: “I have been vaccinated, so I do not share your position. However, I think it is a personal choice. Whatever you think of Djokovic, there is no denying that he is a coherent person.”
Latest news on Nole Djokovic
During a press conference organized in Marbella in partnership with Asics, his equipment supplier, Novak Djokovic recalled how he came to play tennis when no one in his family practiced this sport.
“Sometimes I remember why I started playing tennis when I was a kid. No one had made a sound before me in my house. Tennis was not our sport in the family (his father was a professional skier). So I fell in love with this sport by a kind of accident.
They built three tennis courts in front of the restaurant my family ran, 15 meters away. I was four or five years old and I was curious, I was interested, I watched them and I even helped the workers. I then asked my parents to tell me about this sport, I started watching it on television and I asked them to buy me a racket. That’s how it all started.”
