Novak Djokovicthat already trains in Australia to play the ATP 250 Adelaide 1 and later the first grand slam of the year, he spoke at a press conference about everything he experienced a year ago, when He was deported for violating the measures against the coronavirus which required travelers to have the complete schedule of the vaccine or a valid receipt.
“What happened 12 months ago was not easy to digest (for) a while“Djokovic said at a press conference in Adelaide, broadcast on Channel Nine, and before his participation in a tournament prior to the first Grand Slam of the season.
The tennis player, who was held in a Melbourne hotel for days in January this year, stressed that This type of situation is remembered for a lifetime, although he pointed out that it is a “valuable learning experience”.
“At the same time, I had to move on and that event and those circumstances will not replace what I have experienced in Melbourne (before) and in Australia throughout my career.“added the nine-time winner of the Australian Open and who is looking for his twenty-second big in this edition.
Those circumstances will not replace what I have experienced in Melbourne and Australia throughout my career.
“Obviously (it was) disappointing to leave the country like that. It is a country where I have had tremendous success in my career, especially in Melbourne,” Djokovic told the media.
After that controversial incident that captured international media interest, the fifth racket in the world continues to affirm that it feels good to return to Australia, a country with which he has strong ties and in which he hopes “to have another wonderful (austral) summer”.
Djokovic, one of the favorites to win the Australian Open that begins on January 16, has arrived in the oceanic country in advance – Tuesday night – to be able to reach his best form for the tournament, the Serb assured.
“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 play) in Melbourne: that’s where I want to play best“, subray Djokovic.
One year after Djokovic’s deportation in Australia
In January 2022, Djokovic, who intended to defend his center in Melbourne, was detained by immigration police upon arrival in Australia after questioning the validity of his medical exemption.who claimed that he had recently overcome covid-19, and ordered his deportation for violating the measures against the pandemic.
During the beginning of the year, the oceanic country required travelers who wanted to enter the nation to have the full schedule of the covid-19 vaccine or a valid receipt.
The athlete, who was locked up in a hotel guarded by Immigrationappealed the decision of the authorities but after an intense legal battle, the plenary session of the Australian Federal Court considered that the player’s presence in the country posed a risk to health and public order.
Las authorities deported Djokovic hours before the start of the 2022 Australian Open and imposed a three-year entry ban on the country, a move that the legal team managed to get overturned in November by arguing that the oceanic country has already lifted all restrictions imposed by the pandemic.
The Djokovic scandal occurred at a time when Australia was facing a significant increase in covid-19 cases with the gradual reopening of its borders in November 2021, after almost two years of tight closure.
