The 389 days of anguish and joy that marked Novak Djokovic

It’s January 4, 2022 and Novak Djokovic posts a photo at Belgrade airport with the following message:I had a fantastic quality time with my loved ones over the holidays and today I am heading to Australia on a waiver permit. Let’s go for 2022!. Of course, the following weeks and the year in general would be very far from the feelings he expressed in this text.

Just 24 hours after that postcard, “Nole’s” career began a 180 degree turn. On January 5, upon arrival at Melbourne airport, he was detained for over eight hours upon entering the country with errors on his visa due to his unvaccinated status. In total, he was confined to a hotel for five days as he fought for his Australian Open appearance.

And the first battle was won by the then number one (today he wakes up again in this position), since on January 10, after a small hearing, he was released by a judge and the European even managed to practice on the main court of the Australian Open.

The problem, yes, is that the war ended up being won by the Australian government. This happened on January 16 (11 days after stepping on the bottom of the ocean), when Djokovic was forced to leave the country after losing the appeal against the personal decision of the Minister of Immigration, Alex Hawke, to cancel the tennis player’s visa.

With that, the Australian Open title holder lost the first 2000 points of the year . Two months later, he will announce that he will not play the Indian Wells Masters 1000 or the Miami Masters 1000 because he cannot enter the United States because he is not vaccinated. A recurring and complex problem for the Serb, since he ishe country of 50 states has an almost continuous presence on the ATP calendar and many of the most important tournaments on the planet are held there. . In fact, later in the year, the situation would be repeated in two more Masters 1000s and at the US Open.

This obviously led to him being left out of the fight for number one in 2022. It was first Medvedev who took that seat from him and then Alcaraz who rose to the top of the rankings, yes at a time when the Balkan-born man was totally out of contention for this position. At the end of the US Open (by the time “Carlitos” reached the top of the list), Djokovic was ranked seventh.

A complex situation, but which Djokovic understood was going to happen. After his veto in Melbourne, everything that was to follow was already planned. “I am part of a sport that is played every week in a different part of the world, I understand the consequences of my decision and one of those consequences was wrong in Australia, I was prepared for that. And I understand that, not being vaccinated, I am not authorized to travel to most tournaments. And that’s the price I’m willing to pay.” he said at the time.

For example, at the time of completing the US Open in September 2022, Novak had only played in Dubai, Monte Carlo, Belgrade, Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

The worst is that of these events, it is the Grand Slam on grass where he obtained the best results. Just an edition that did not add points and caused all players to lose the points they had obtained in 2021. In the case of Nole, not only did he not get 2,000 points for winning his seventh title in London, but he also saw how the 2,000 points he got two years ago were deducted also being a champion.

Si Djokovic passed it on January 16, 2022 on a private plane to return to Serbia, after the most turbulent week of his career. This January 16, he spent training on the auxiliary courts of the Australian Open, preparing for what would be his reappearance at the Rod Laver Arena after the year of the storm.

A reunion where the Serb would not only play again, but would be champion again. The tenth time already, more than anyone in Melbourne. Incidentally, he would also manage to reclaim world number one, having the chance to continue to stretch the gaps as the player with the most weeks at the top of the leaderboard. As if that were not enough, his consecration at the Oceanic Open also serves to equal Nadal in Grand Slams and surpass him in the conquered ATP tournaments.

“I really wanted to go back to Australia, I’ve said that before. I feel very good here. Given my records, I knew I had options. I ended last season in the best possible way and prepared well. After what happened last year, I was more nervous about how I was going to be received, but overall it’s been a positive experience. “, he commented after lifting the title, 389 days after his arrest at Melbourne airport.

The closing of a stormy circle and the start of a new episode that may allow him to break all possible records. Of course, with a question. Can Djokovic return to the United States and play the full schedule?

The answer to that at the moment is no. US entry policies continue to prohibit the entry of unvaccinated foreigners and Djokovic would once again find himself without a chance to play in Indian Wells, Miami, Cincinnati and the US Open. But the pressure to have the world number one is not negligible.

A few days ago, Indian Wells Masters 1000 manager and former world number two Tommy Haas uttered harsh words about the situation. “It would be nice if they lifted it before mid-April, as it’s supposed to. Djokovic could therefore play in Indian Wells and Miami. I think he wants to play. It would be a shame if you could not come to these events if you are not authorized to do so. ” exposed the German.

This is the key so that its place as world number one can be maintained over time, because without being able to play the North American events it becomes very complex. Djokovic for his part does not think about that and relishes his big moment. He is also watching out of the corner of his eye Roland Garros, a tournament he has won twice and where he could surpass the currently injured Rafael Nadal as the male player with the most Grand Slam titles in history. Some fans are even thinking of a final between the two. If that happened, it would undoubtedly be one of the most iconic matches in modern tennis.