Novak Djokovic says he has received a “positive” welcome from players in the locker room and is “excited” to be back on the court for his first match of the season at the Dubai ATP tournament on Monday. The world number one missed last month’s Australian Open after his visa was canceled and he was deported from Australia for not being vaccinated. He returns to the Emirates tour this week, where he will compete for the first time since the Davis Cup final in Madrid last December.
Ahead of his opening round against Italian wildcard Lorenzo Musetti, Djokovic spoke to reporters on Sunday night about how it feels to be back on the tennis circuit, and whether there has been any negative reaction from his teammates in the wake of his return.
“So far most of the players I’ve seen here – I haven’t seen too many players – but most of the players I’ve seen are positive and welcoming. It’s obviously good to see. I can’t say in Australia. It was like that. It was a little weird. But here it is so far,” said the 34-year-old Serb.
Djokovic is back on training 10 days after returning from Australia, and admits he needs some time to recover emotionally from the weeks leading up to him being detained by the Australian Border Force in Melbourne and eventually home. His visa was revoked twice before being sent back. ,
The 20-time major champion said what happened in Australia left him “sad” and “disappointed”, but he was soon inspired to get back on the tennis court.
“I’ve been playing tennis for the last two and a half, three weeks. I’m enjoying it. I love the sport, I just like hitting the tennis ball, so it wasn’t really difficult for me to lift it. A racket and practice court But go out and just play,” said Djokovic, who is targeting a sixth Dubai title this week.
“Knowing that I was coming to Dubai, I had something to work on, I had a goal. So now that I am here I can say that I am as prepared as possible and I am excited again Be on tour.”
In an interview with the BBC, Djokovic said he was willing to give up the chance to compete in any tournament, including the Grand Slam, if any of those events had a vaccine mandate.
“Follow the rules”
He knows he may not have as many opportunities to play as a non-vaccinated person, which means planning his schedule in advance will become increasingly difficult.
“I just have to follow the rules. Whatever tournament I am able to play, I will try to go to that country and play the tournament,” he said.
“I can’t really choose right now. It’s really about where I can go and play. Wherever I get a chance, I’ll probably use that opportunity and play because that’s what I do, that’s what I get.” Like still do it.”
Djokovic, eclipsed by Rafael Nadal in the men’s all-time list of most Grand Slams won thanks to the Spaniards Australian Open last month, could drop his number one ranking on February 28, Daniil Medvedev, who plays in Acapulco this week. ,
The Serb, who starts his record 361st week at the top of the rankings on Monday, is unaware of all the scenarios that could lead to his ouster and is instead focusing on winning all his matches in Dubai.
“He deserves to be number one,” Djokovic said of Russia’s world number two Medvedev.
publicized
“Eventually it’s going to happen. If it happens this week, I’ll be the first to congratulate them.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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