Novak Djokovic

Australian Crowd Welcomed Novak After Being Forced To Withdraw Last Year

First Grand Slam of the year, Australian Open is soon to begin in Melbourne. Fans are all excited to welcome Serbian Novak Djokovic after he was forced to withdraw for not having taken his Covid-19 shots.

Serbian Tennis player Novak Djokovic’s saga at the Australian Open ended abruptly last year. The ace tennis player was forced to withdraw from the Grand Slam. Honestly, Novak Djokovic headed to the Melbourne Park unsure about the fan’s reception following his deportation status. made his way to Melbourne for the Australian Open unsure about the reception he would receive after being but forgiving fans said the nine-times champion was welcome again. Here is Novak Djokovic at a press conference in Melbourne.

Novak Djokovic Press Conference | Australian Open 2023 Pre-Event
Novak Djokovic at press conference

In a set of unfortunate events, the former World Number One was forced to return home to Serbia and miss last year’s major for not taking his COVID-19 shots. Besides, he received a three-year travel ban for the country, which was waived in November and cleared the way for his return. Furthermore, many fans were further enraged when Djokovic applied for a medical exemption. Subsequently, many fans supported the ace player’s deportation.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

Forgetting the past, Australian Crowd welcomed Novak

Twelve years hence, fans at Melbourne Park and the Australian Crowd welcomed Novak with open arms. They even gave him a rousing reception throughout his title run in a warm-up tournament. There is no doubt that Novak is one of the best players in the world. For the unversed Djokovic, who begins his quest for a 22nd Grand Slam to match Nadal against Roberto Carballes Baena on Tuesday, would be slapped with potential tournament bans. Also, the local residents believe that crowd respects him too.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

Another Melbourne resident, Leigh Harrison, echoed those views saying Adelaide had shown Melbourne the way forward.

“I was watching the tournament in Adelaide,” Harrison said. “He seemed to get a really good reception. I think he’ll get a reasonable reception. I think people have moved on now.”

Also read: RRRForOscars Trends On Twitter, Surveys Puts NTR In Best Actor List