He appeared before the journalists after training with a smile on his face. It was obvious that he was happy to be playing in Australia again. “I’m happy to be here again. What happened 12 months ago was not easy for me, for my family, for my team, for everyone who is close to me,” said Djokovic.
“Of course it’s disappointing to leave the country like this. I really hoped to be able to play here because Australia is the country where I experienced great success in my career,” continued the former world number one, who just won nine titles at the Australian Open, making her the most successful tennis player of the tournament.
Because of his rejection of vaccination against the coronavirus, Djokovic was detained by customs officials at the airport this year upon his arrival in the country, who took him to a detention hotel for immigrants. After a long struggle, he was finally deported from Australia. However, he does not feel any bitterness.
“I’ve always felt great in Australia, I’ve played my best tennis here and I’ve had a lot of support here,” he said, adding that the past event, however, cannot be completely forgotten. “It will stay with me for the rest of my life. It’s something , which I have never experienced before and I hope I will never experience again. But it is a valuable life experience for me,” he said.
“Djoker” will play a warm-up tournament in Adelaide this weekend just before the first Grand Slam tournament of the season approaching in January. He is not worried about the reaction of the crowd, which almost a year ago was mostly against him. “I can’t predict the reaction of the fans, but I will do everything to play well tennis and conveyed good feelings to the audience and evoked positive emotions in them,” he added.
