It was one of the biggest media events of all time in sports when, immediately after landing, Novak Djokovic was detained in a Melbourne hotel where he was not allowed to leave the room while his lawyers tried to get justice against the Australian authorities, a media spectacle in front of an open curtain.
There was no game for the ten-time Australian Open winner, who was forced to leave the country in humiliating circumstances.
– I will be completely honest with how I feel. In recent years, when I have gone through passport control and the immigration authority, I feel the trauma of three years ago, Djokovic told the Herald Sun in Melbourne.
“Are they going to take me?”
He feels uncomfortable when personnel from the migration authority look in his direction.
– The staff checking my passport – should they take me, detain me again or let me go? I have to admit that I have that feeling, says the 37-year-old Serbian who will be coached by the one week older childhood friend Andy Murray.
The Australian Open will be their first collaboration together.
Djokovic processed the incident three years ago and was back to win his 10th AO title the following year, in 2023.
– My parents and the whole team were there and it was actually one of the most emotional wins I’ve ever had considering everything I’d been through the year before, says Djokovic, who fell to seventh place in the rankings.