As everyone knows by now, Novak Djokovic has been given permission to travel to Australia. The former world number 1 flew ‘Down Under’ earlier than usual, wanting to take all the time necessary to find the right sensations.
The Serbian phenomenon had not been able to participate in the 2022 edition of the Australian Open due to his vaccination status, which led to a bad soap opera that led to his expulsion from the country. Although he had to miss two Grand Slams (AO and US Open) and all the American Masters 1000, the 35-year-old from Belgrade managed to revive his season by winning Wimbledon and four other titles (the ATP Finals, the Masters 1000 in Rome, the ATP 500 in Astana and the ATP 250 in Tel Aviv).
The ‘Djoker’ finished the year in the Top 5 and will be chasing his tenth stamp at Melbourne Park. In case of victory in the AO, Goran Ivanisevic’s protégé would hook his eternal rival Rafael Nadal in 22 Grand Slams.
Well-known Australian coach Roger Rasheed has his thoughts on Djokovic’s return to Australia.
Rasheed talks about Djokovic
The Australian coach is very happy that Novak Djokovic can play in Australia again. According to him, this is good news for the level of tennis that the champions will offer during this month of January.
“There is no doubt that Novak’s return improves the performance of other players. When you have the best in the game and they’re playing live in front of you, you always want to stand out and perform. They take you to another level.
Everyone wants to have the best players in the world on the field and that’s what we will have.» Novak Djokovic will be the biggest talking point at the 2023 Australian Open, according to former tennis player Prakash Amritraj.
«Look, there’s going to be some serious contenders there,» Amritraj said. «We’re going to see Carlos Alcaraz come back healthy, the youngest number 1 we’ve ever had on tour and I know we’ll get to this, but I think our boy Nick Kyrgios has a good chance to make something special happen in Australia.» .
But look, the biggest story has to be Novak, especially after the way he had to go last year. Those feelings are still inside him when he came back. Novak loves a little chip on his shoulder and that will help him get stronger. Many great athletes work this way. I can’t wait to see how hungry he comes out this year,» he stated.
