Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic said today that he hopes for a good reception by the public in Australia, ahead of the Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne.
“After what happened last year, I hope that I will be welcomed in the right way and that it will help me to play my best tennis,” said the world’s fifth tennis player to journalists in Dubai on the sidelines of the exhibition tournament.
Djokovic was deported from Australia at the beginning of the year, after the immigration minister revoked his visa due to the possibility that the presence of an unvaccinated player could affect the vaccination against the corona virus in that country.
In addition to deportation, the Serbian player was banned from entering the country for three years, but that decision was overturned in the middle of last month.
“In the past, I’ve always had the opportunity to start the year in Australia very strong and I love playing there,” said the nine-time Australian Open winner.
In addition to the Australian Open, Djokovic also missed the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the season, this year due to regulations related to the fight against the corona virus.
The Serbian player added that he would like his career to last as long as possible.
“I don’t really have any numbers in mind. Things are going pretty well for me so far. I can’t complain. So as long as I’m playing at this level, as long as there’s ‘fire’, I’ll keep going,” said the 35-year-old tennis player.
If he were to win the Australian Open, Djokovic would equal the number of titles in Grand Slam tournaments with the leader Rafael Nadal, who has 22 trophies.
The Australian Open is scheduled from January 16 to 29.