It was like coming home for him! tennis star Novak Djokovic (35) was after his expulsion before the start of the Australian Open a year ago, it was again welcomed with open arms by the audience in Melbourne.
In his first round win against the Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena (29), he was supported by a large number of Serbian fans, who literally carried him to the 6:3, 6:4, 6:0. The march through is said to be the first step on the way to the 22nd Grand Slam title, through which he would draw level with Rafael Nadal (36).
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Djokovic: “I felt very welcome. The Serbian community is very large in Australia and welcomed me in an incredible way. So much support, so much love, I couldn’t have asked for a better start.”
All the quarrels from January 2022, when the world number one at the time, who was not vaccinated against Corona, wanted to travel down under, seem to have been forgotten. The organizer Tennis Australia had promised him the visa in cooperation with the government, which is the only reason he got on the plane. But the border officials didn’t care. They ultimately won the power struggle, true to the motto: equal rights for all.
And so the unvaccinated man with a three-year entry ban had to start his journey home in his luggage without having achieved anything before he even played a ball. This entry ban was lifted in autumn and, since all corona regulations were dropped, Djokovic was now officially allowed to come to Melbourne unvaccinated.
Even his parents are there for the first time since 2008 when he clinched his first of nine titles here. The tenth is to follow this year. The prospects did not get worse after the injury-related cancellation of world number one Carlos Alcaraz (19) and Nadal’s early departure.
Despite the thigh injury, Novak Djokovic played his opponent against the wall
Already at the preparatory tournament in Adelaide, which he won, the superstar, who has since dropped to fifth place and is still not allowed to play in the USA due to the lack of vaccinations, was welcomed with open arms.
If he wins in Melbourne, he could become number 1 again. “It’s all just numbers,” he said after his first appearance. “I’ve often played on historical things. I’m blessed that I’ve had more success than failure.”
After the Australians, the Serbs are the largest fan community at the Australian Open
The only thing that could stop him towards the end of the tournament, apart from strong opponents, would be his thigh, which has been troubling him for weeks. But he seems to be improving. “The leg is good, but not ideal. Today was a really good test. I haven’t trained much in the last few days, it paid off,” he said.
And so, twelve months later, the world of the man who was chased away in disgrace a year ago seems to be in order again. Australia has forgiven him, understandable or not.