With less than three weeks to go before the 2023 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic is back in the “land down under” for another tennis tournament.
Djokovic arrived in Australia on Tuesday for the Adelaide International and reflected on his experience being deported ahead of the 2022 Grand Slam event in January due to his decision not to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Australia has since lifted their quarantine regulations and proof of vaccination requirements, and in November, the government overturned the three-year ban that accompanied “The Joker’s” deportation and granted him a visa to return for the Grand Slam tournament that begins on Jan. 16.
“Obviously what happened 12 months ago was not easy for me, for my family, team, anybody who is close to me,” Djokovic said, per an Associated Press and ESPN report. “It’s obviously disappointing to leave the country like that.”
The Serbian added that the January event is “one of these things that stays with you for, I guess, the rest of your life,” but he also considers it a “valuable life experience” and he has to “move on.”
In September, Djokovic said he didn’t have any regrets stemming from the circumstances last winter. He’s won a record nine Australian Opens, including the last three times he’s competed.
Rafael Nadal took home the crown in January in Djokovic’s absence. Djokovic won three majors in 2021 but was ineligible for both the Australian Open and the U.S. Open in 2022 due to his vaccination status.
The 35-year-old fell to Nadal in the quarterfinals of this year’s French Open but captured his 21st Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon in July. Nadal is the all-time leader in men’s singles titles with 22, Djokovic has 21 and the recently retired Roger Federer finished his career with 20.
