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Tennis star Novak Djokovic is back to play the Australian Open. Will the public welcome him back?

bynewsdesk
January 2, 2023

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Highlights
  • Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia due to the COVID-19 vaccine.
  • His three-year ban was later overturned and this week he returned to Australia for the 2023 tournament.
  • On Wednesday, Djokovic said that while he cannot forget the ordeal, he is eager to move on.
Novak Djokovic landed in Australia last week to play in the 2023 Australian Open after missing last year’s event. and expelled.
The fallout and controversial decision made headlines around the world, sparking protests and fueling the debate over vaccine mandates.

Now tournament organizers and Djokovic are hopeful of a “good summer” ahead and fan support for the 2023 tournament, but is Australia ready to take him back?

What happened in 2022?

In January 2022, Djokovic arrived in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open, but was taken into immigration detention and eventually had his visa revoked.
Then-immigration minister Alex Hawke used special powers to cancel Djokovic’s visa, saying it was in the public interest because the Serbian tennis star was a “talisman of anti-vaccination sentiment” and his presence could incite “civil unrest”.
He was initially banned from returning for three years, but he got it
Australian Open director Craig Tiley said he hoped the fans would welcome Djokovic.
“I have a lot of confidence in the Australian public,” Tiley said.
“We are a very well-educated sports audience, especially those who come to tennis, they love tennis, they love to see greatness, they love to see great sportsmanship and great matches.
“And I have a lot of confidence that the fans will react the way we hope they will and respect that.”

On Thursday, Djokovic – who has won the Australian Open nine times – told reporters that while he can never forget the events of 12 months ago, he feels “great” in Australia.

“It was … something I’ve never experienced before and hopefully never again. But it’s a valuable life experience for me and something that, like I said, stays with me, but I have to move on,” he said. .

“I’ve always felt great in Australia. I’ve played my best tennis here and had a lot of support, so hopefully I’ll have another great summer.”

How do Serbian Australian tennis fans feel?

For many Serbian-Australian tennis fans, the visa loss for their star was a frustrating turn of events.
Andrei Trickovic, who lives in Melbourne, says that while he usually likes tennis, he decided not to watch the 2022 event because of Australia’s treatment of Djokovic.

“I think the viewership would have been down … I didn’t watch it, and (the reason) I didn’t watch it was because they didn’t let Novak play,” he said.

“After being told he was allowed to come here, he did everything right and legally, even the judge said everything was fine, and then when the immigration minister overturned it… I know a lot of other fans who didn’t watch. either.”
Serbian fans showed their support for Djokovic throughout the January debacle outside his lawyer in Melbourne and at the Park Hotel where he was arrested.

Mr Trickovic told SBS News while he believes most Serbian Australians support Djokovic, other Australians may have mixed reactions to this year’s tournament.

Australia Open Djokovic Hotel

A protester holds a banner outside the Park Hotel calling for the release of refugees detained inside the hotel in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, January 8, 2022. Source: AAP / Hamish Blair

“There was support for Novak in the Serbian community, but I didn’t feel it anywhere else in the Australian demographic when it became politicized,” he said.

“I feel like for people who didn’t like him before, this has given him a reason to like him even less,” he said.

What about the asylum seekers Djokovic was arrested alongside?

Djokovic’s arrest also raised the global spotlight and Australia’s immigration detention policy.
At the moment, at the hotel, which had previously reported finding maggots and mold in the food and said they had no access to gym facilities or washing machines after the fire.
The asylum seekers were released in the following months, and Djokovic expressed his support.
“They have done nothing wrong and they are asylum seekers and have been there for nine years,” he said.

“It’s something that of course I didn’t understand why – but if I brought a little bit of light to that situation in a positive way for them to make this happen, then of course I’m very happy because they got a second chance in a different country.”

What has been the reaction?

Australia’s COVID-19 restrictions look very different today than they did in January 2022.
Australia has been ever since and no longer requires arriving passengers to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus or to provide a negative COVID-19 test.
Rafael Nadal, who won the tournament in Djokovic’s absence in 2022, was cast in doubt over his rival’s return on Wednesday.
“Novak is here. Good for tennis, probably good for the fans,” Nadal said.

“Let’s see, shall we? The best players on the field always win.”

Sources

1/ https://Google.com/

2/ https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/novak-djokovic-has-returned-to-australia-will-the-public-welcome-him-back/unjpa6vex

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