Novak Djokovic was unable to play in Melbourne earlier this year due to his vaccination status, which spawned a bad soap opera that ended in his expulsion from the country. For the same reason, the former world number 1 also had to give up the US Open and all the American Masters 1000.
Nole’s season looked set to fail, but the Serbian managed to bounce back in the summer by winning his seventh Wimbledon title. In addition to having equaled his idol Pete Sampras with seven triumphs at Church Road, the 35-year-old from Belgrade has moved just one length clear of Rafael Nadal in the all-time Grand Slam rankings.
The ‘Djoker’ enhanced his year by also winning the ATP Finals in Turin, the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, the ATP 500 in Astana and the ATP 250 in Tel Aviv. Goran Ivanisevic’s pupil will start his 2023 by playing the ATP in Adelaide, and then go hunting for his tenth seal in Melbourne Park.
Speaking to the microphones of ‘Tennis Channel’, Prakash Amritraj analyzed Djokovic’s chances at the AO.
Djokovic couldn’t play in the Melbourne Major this year
“Look, there’s going to be some serious contenders there,” Amritraj stated.
“We’re gonna see Carlos Alcaraz coming back healthy, youngest No. 1 ever we had on the tour and I know we will get to this, but I think our guy Nick Kyrgios has got a good shot to make something special happen Down Under.
But look, the biggest story line has to be Novak Djokovic, especially after the way he had to leave last year. Those feelings are still inside him as he sort of came back. Novak loves a little chip on his shoulder and that will help bolster him.
A lot of great athletes work this way. I cannot wait to see how hungry he comes out this year,” he asserted. While speaking to Channel 9, MacDonald stated the Serb looked in good touch and appeared ready to take on all the contenders.
“He looked fantastic today,” said MacDonald. “He’s arrived in Adelaide ready to take on all the contenders here. We’re really looking forward to him, he’s looking sharp and his team’s thrilled to be in Adelaide.
He knows Adelaide pretty well, he knows what to expect, the conditions are pretty similar to Melbourne. So I think his whole team is really, really happy to be here in Adelaide. Obviously, he’s got a big team around him, he’s very particular about the way he prepares and even today, being on the court for the first time, you really get a sense for the preparation that goes into each and every training session, and he’s also very particular about his food.”
