Novak Djokovic, after leaving Australia last season, where he was unable to defend his title in Melbourne, returns this year to play regularly in the country of the kangaroos. The winner of twenty-one Grand Slams, before the first Major of the season in which he will try to lift the trophy for the tenth time, the 250 is played in Adelaide.
The start was convincing: the Serb defeated Lestienne in his debut and will face Quentin Halys in the round of 16. Speaking of the Australian Open, which will start in a few weeks, French coach Patrick Mouratoglou spoke of the Belgrade champion’s chances of winning Melbourne again after two years: “It will be difficult for Novak in Australia, that’s for sure,” said Mouratoglou, former coach of Serena Williams, to the journalist Arnold Montgault during an interview with Eurosport.
“He will carry a lot of emotional baggage with him. He’s been through a lot emotionally. No one is immune. It’s going to be tough. I hope he doesn’t collapse like he did at the 2021 US Open (close loss in final against Medvedev on the verge of winning four straight slams that year ed.)” The transalpine coach spoke after the official competitions: “We are in preseason and there is still no competition stress.
So he will be emotionally rested, which is good. He won’t start directly with the Australian Open, so he will have time to get used to the environment.” Djokovic declared that he has spent a difficult few months trying to assimilate the consequences of what happened in Australia.
Mouratoglou hopes Djokovic will be respected in his return to Melbourne. “I hope the Australians give him a good reception because, in my opinion, everything that has been said about him is really undeserved.”
Novak Djokovic continues to fight
Novak Djokovic continues to fight the good fight despite all the hurdles he has encountered along the way.
“I think there’s a lot of legal challenges along the way. We managed to overcome all those challenges, and we are gathering the right team of people with advisory board, people that are going to help with financing the association, of course people from the tennis world that will help us establish ourselves within the ecosystem, which I think is very important as we were not accepted and embraced by Grand Slams, ATP nor WTA, so it makes things difficult for us, but this association needs to live,” he said.
