MADRID, 29 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic, current number five in the world, stated that it is “great to be back in Australia”, almost a year after his deportation for not being vaccinated against the coronavirus, “a valuable life experience”, although it was not something “easy” and hopes “never to experience it again”.
“It’s great to be back in Australia,” said the Serb this Thursday in statements published by ATP after training in Adelaide, where he will play the ATP 250 tournament, which starts on January 1, to prepare his return to the Australian Open, on 16 to 29 in Melbourne.
Djokovic has won this ‘Grand Slam’ nine times. However, last January, he had to leave the country before the start of the tournament because he had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, when this was mandatory in Australia for any traveler. He was denied the waiver and deported, further barred from entering the country for the next three years. But since then the authorities have lifted these rules, as well as the Serb restriction.
The tennis player acknowledged that “what happened twelve months ago was not easy.” “Of course it’s disappointing to leave the country like this. It’s one of those things that will stay with you for the rest of your life. I’ve never experienced anything like it and I hope I never will again. But it’s a valuable life experience for me and something that will remain.” But I have to move on,” he recalled.
Now, Djokovic will fight to win his tenth Australian Open, a tournament in which he has had “tremendous success”. “I hope that everything is positive. I will do everything possible to play good tennis and give good emotions and good sensations to the public,” said the winner of 21 Grand Slams.
“I always have faith in myself and I believe that I can win every tournament that I play. I think with the career that I’ve had, I deserve to have that kind of mental focus. Obviously, things are different. There are a lot of young people on the circuit and they It has produced a generational change. But (Rafa) Nadal and I, (we are still) strong”, he commented on his options.
And the Serbian appealed to “good memories and good history” on “Australian soil” to “believe” that he can win the title, or at least be a “challenger.” “The goal is to reach the top in Melbourne. That’s where I want to play best. I guess at this point in my career, with all the achievements, every victory in a big tournament is the chance to make more history. I don’t lack for inspiration or motivation to play as well as possible,” he added.