The Serbian tennis player, who is preparing to face the first grand slam of the year, recalled the controversy experienced last January when his entry was revoked for non-vaccination against Covid.
Novak Djokovic is in Australia to prepare for the first Grand Slam of the year. It is about the reunion of the Serb with the oceanic country almost a year after his expulsion from the country because at the time he was required to be vaccinated against Covid.
After authorities granted him a visa to play in the tournament, Nole was confirmed on the roster for the Australian Open in which he will seek to equal Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slams.
This Thursday, Djokovic took the floor to talk about the experience he had a year ago and his goals for the next edition of the tournament.
“What happened 12 months ago was not easy to swallow (for) a while “, he began by pointing to the Balkan during a press conference in Adelaide.
He then recalled the time he had to be held in a Melbourne hotel, noting it gave him “valuable learning experience”.
“At the same time, I had to move on and this event and these circumstances will not replace what I experienced in Melbourne (before) and Australia throughout my career. “, he expressed.
Regarding the expulsion, the nine-time Australian Open winner said that “obviously it was disappointing to leave the country like that . It’s a country where I’ve had tremendous success in my career, especially Melbourne.”
His mere presence in the tournament makes him one of the favorites to win the title of the competition which begins on January 16. In any case, Djokovic preferred to arrive last Tuesday to better adapt to the time change.
“It’s a challenge to come to Australia because of the time zone (and because of that) I did something different and came earlier than usual. The goal is to reach the top (of the game) in Melbourne: that’s where I want to play the best “, hill.
planned visit
Australian Open director Craigh Tiley appreciated the Serbian’s participation in the competition after being confirmed as a competitor.
“Djokovic ended 2022 playing the best tennis. He wants to equal the current record held by Rafa. He aims to be the greatest of all time. I think he will be the player to beat again “Tiley said in statements to The Age.
“I have great faith in the Australian public. We are a very educated sporting public, especially those who come to tennis, love their tennis, love to see greatness, love to see a great athlete and their great games.”
deportation
In January this year, Djokovic intended to defend his Australian Grand Slam title. However, the tennis player was arrested by the immigration police on his arrival for having had doubts about the validity of his medical exemption which ensured that he had recently overcome the Covid.
At that time, one of the requirements that the oceanic country had to allow visitors to enter was to have a complete vaccination schedule against the virus or a valid justification.
After the case ended up in the Australian Federal Court, the authorities decided that the presence of Nole posed a risk to the health of the country so they decided to expel him a few hours before the start of the tournament.
Track to El Deportivo
Source: Latercera
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