Djokovic had an open training session last week and then held a press conference, where he revealed he had applied for a special permit. “Everything is currently in the process. I have a big desire to be there. I am really thankful to the Indian Wells and Miami tournament (officials) and community for their support publicly and they would like me to be able to play in their tournaments”, he said.

The Serbian began this season with his 92nd career title at the 2023 Adelaide International 1. At the Australian Open, he dropped only one set en route to the final, where he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to clinch his record-extending 10th Australian Open title. 

He also tied Rafael Nadal for the Open Era record of 22 men’s singles major title, and also snatched the world no. 1 ranking from Carlos Alcaraz.

YouTube Link; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rujpEhWJzwY

The former world number 1 is currently in Australia for the Grand Slam this year and hopes things go smoothly this time around. 

“You can’t forget those events, it’s one of those things that stick with you,” said Djokovic in his first news conference since returning to Australia.

“It stays with you for the rest of your life. It’s something I’ve never experienced before and hopefully never again, but it is a valuable life experience for me.

“But I have to move on and coming back to Australia speaks about how I feel about this country and how I feel about playing here.”

“It’s a great place and the people in Adelaide, and generally in Australia, love tennis, love sports and it’s a sporting nation so hopefully we’re going to have a lot of people watching and we can have a good time,” Djokovic said.

“I’m hoping everything is going to be positive. Obviously, it’s not something that I can predict. I’ll do my best to play some good tennis and bring good emotions and good feelings to the crowd.”

Djokovic is motivated for the coming year and specifically the Australian Open for its highly competitive environment. 

YouTube Link; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0QN88SbI78

“It is too late, without a doubt,” said Nadal. He had requested not to go ahead with the evening session.

“I can’t complain because we have two days off now but if you only have one day off, or like [Alexander] Zverev had in Madrid when he had to play the final the next day, then it’s a big issue.”

“I understand the other part of the business, without a doubt, that television pays a lot of money. We need to find a balance.”

Djokovic believed the same as he appreciate the grace of Nadal’s tennis in the tough moments of the game.

“I think they are starting too late. But TV decides, that’s the world we live in,” said Djokovic.

“He was just able to take his tennis to another level in those particular moments in the beginning of all sets, except the fourth…”

“I had my chances but he showed why he’s a great champion, staying mentally tough… he deserved it.”

Rafael Nadal now inches closer to winning this year’s French Open. Only time will tell whether the King of Clay gets his hands on the trophy.

YouTube Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7vnjuYW8dE

While Djokovic held his tongue during the course of the tournament, he later went towards BBC and gave a tell-all interview that included all details.

However, the Serb star is now angry at BBC for the way they reported the interview and for the way they misinformed the public through their inadequate reporting measures.

“I was painted in a really ugly manner,” he told the Sport Klub, “I was humiliated, if I may say so, on a world stage.

“That is why it is important for me to have the opportunity to say something. I will repeat what I said to the BBC, because I don’t have more to add.

“I’ve done everything that was asked of me.

“There is a belief that I was privileged in a way, that I [got the exemption] because of my stature.

“I will keep saying it and repeat it like a parrot, although the BBC has cut that part of the interview: 10 days before me, a Czech tennis player and Croatian coach entered Australia with the same medical exemption.

“She played a tournament, he coached his player no problem at all. Suddenly I come and there is a problem. Why? You tell me.”

The 34-year-old Serb star is still to get a nod by organizers to play in the French Open. However, he will play in Rome to get back into competitive action. With Nadal leading the competition, Djokovic would like to get back in competitive action and be back in winning ways.

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNaIMC4XMhc

The administration expects all players to be fully vaccinated before they can fly in for the tournament. Victorian State administrator Daniel Andrews has had a say on the matter and believes there is a line for players wanting to enter the state for the Grand Slam. 

“I don’t think an unvaccinated tennis player is going to get a visa to come into this country,” he said. “If they did get a visa, they’d probably have to quarantine for a couple of weeks when no other players will have to.

“I don’t think any other tennis player, or golfer, or Formula One driver, will even get a visa to get here. The vaccine doesn’t care what your tennis ranking is or how many Grand Slams you have won. Sorry, the virus does not care. Professional sport is part of that authorised worker list and they have to be double-dose vaccinated.”

Last year’s Australian Open was a debacle itself as players were required to quarantine inside hotels for lengthy periods to meet the strict requirements set by the administration. 

Djokovic has refused to open up on his vaccination status currently and his decision of making it to the Australian Open is still hanging by a thread. 

“Things beings as they are, I still don’t know if I will go to Melbourne,” Djokovic said. “I will not reveal my status whether I have been vaccinated or not, it is a private matter and an inappropriate inquiry.

“Of course I want to go, Australia is my most successful grand slam tournament. I want to compete, I love this sport and I am still motivated.

“I am following the situation regarding the Australian Open … I believe there will be a lot of restrictions just like this year, but I doubt there will be too many changes.”

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEsK5BbcGUQ

The world No 1 threw his racket into the stands, prompting concerns from people over the globe, as the racket closely missed the few spectators. Djokovic then pulled out of the mixed doubles bronze medal match with Nina Stojanovic over concerns that he was mentally and physically exhausted. 

Former British No 1 Annabel Croft was unimpressed by the Serb’s antics and believed he wasn’t setting a good impression. “It was an interesting scenario in that final set,” declared Eurosport and Discovery+ tennis expert Croft.

“He missed a volley, he’s down a break already and the frustration just boiled over. He smashed his racket up against the net post, gets a warning. He does a good job of completely annihilating that racquet! It’s almost splintered! Then chucks the racket into the crowd, well there’s not a crowd but somebody standing quite close by. It wasn’t in frustration.”

“Carreno Busta hadn’t even seen him do it but his team behind him was asking him why he didn’t get a warning for putting that racket into the stands. I think it was almost a little bit of needle bearing in mind what I’ve just said about the history between these two.”

“He was clearly trying to get the umpire to give him another warning. Who knows whether that would have meant disqualification again or what have you.”

“So it was quite an interesting moment and showed a lot of tension between the two of them and unfortunately for Djokovic, he couldn’t contain his emotions out there and it was Carreno Busta who came through.”

Djokovic has already been in the spotlight of late for antics on the court and off the court.

YouTube Link; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43oSxSxmnnE

“[Djokovic and Federer] have developed a kind of respect over the years, but why do you think he still plays at 40?” Srdjan Djokovic said about Federer in a recent interview. 

“Imagine that, a 40-year-old man still plays tennis, when he can go home and do some more interesting things. But since both Nadal and Novak are breathing down his neck, he simply cannot accept the fact that they will be better than him. Go man, raise children, do something else, go ski, do something. Tennis is not my whole life, it is just my son’s current hobby. He is only a tennis player at the moment,” added the Serb’s father. 

‘15 years ago, he attacked my son while he was still young, aged 18 or 19,’ he said.

‘[Federer] knew that someone was coming who would be better than him.’

‘I said then he was a great champion, the best at that time, but as much as he is a great champion, he is not as good a man.’

The comments by his father have taken Novak Djokovic off guard, as he didn’t see these coming. When asked about the statements during a recent media encounter, Djokovic was unaware of these allegations. 

Novak Djokovic, though, did mention that he has trouble agreeing with his father at times.

“I love him, he is a great support of mine,” Novak Djokovic replied when asked his thoughts on his father’s recent comments.

“I can’t control what he says, everyone has a right to speak his mind, but I don’t always agree with everything he says.”

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_i5EmdcxbQ

Titled as the Professional Tennis Players Association or PTPA, the association will represent male players as announced in an email. While tennis legends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have criticized the association for disrupting unity between players, former world’s doubles number one Todd Woodbridge has berated the association for not including women players and for completely missing the mark. 

It’s just poor judgment at this time,” insisted Australian doubles great Woodbridge in a recent interview.

“Everybody’s losing jobs, millions are out of work, tournaments are struggling to stay up and afloat, and the tour’s been trying for the last six months to get back.

But there’s the biggest downfall of all and that’s … where are the women? If you’re going to do this, tennis is the one sport that’s united in the world with equal prize money. Our majors are played together.

This is tone deaf by the group that has decided to break away. The ATP is the players’ representation.

They’ve got their seat at the table; they want more, they want more control of that.

This is the first week back and they throw this sort of bomb out there? I’m pretty disappointed with the way that they’ve gone with that timing.”

World number two Rafael Nadal also tweeted his concerns and called it a “difficult and complicated” time for the world.

“I personally believe these are times to be calm and all work together in the same direction,” said the Spaniard.

“It is time for unity, not for separation. These are moments where big things can be achieved as long as the world of tennis is united.

Players, tournaments and governing bodies have to work together. We have a bigger problem and separation and disunion is definitely not the solution.”

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWZ94jRemmU

Speaking after his victory, a candid Djokovic was happy to shut down skeptics who accused him of telling porkies.

“It was a bit unfair at times but it’s neither the first nor the last time,” he said in his post-match press conference.

Earlier, Djokovic added: “I got injured in the third round. It was rollercoaster ride if I can define it in one word. I think it makes even sweeter for me.”

“I wanted to keep things quiet and clear for me in terms of talking about the injury or any other stuff. Just keeping it to tennis.”

“It’s a muscle tear. It was a muscle tear at that point. I don’t think I’ve experienced that kind of a snap that I had in the third round. I went to an MRI. The MRI has shown a tear. People questioned that. I understand they question my injury, question whether there is a tear. There is. I can get the doctors to confirm that.”

“For me it was a huge obstacle and challenge. I haven’t practiced in the days between the matches.

Out of 14 waking hours, Djokovic is believed to have spent 10 hours on the doctor’s table and doing everything he possibly could.

“I owe great gratitude to my doctor putting in a lot of hours and knowledge and know how. I guess we’re all different. I have maybe a great ability to heal. I don’t know,” added Djokovic. 

“I just managed somehow with pills and painkillers and stuff.”

“It’s not healed up. I’m going to go and do another MRI tomorrow before I travel back. But I am definitely going to take some time off. I don’t know how long it will take.”

The Siberian won his 18th Grand Slam at this year’s Australian Open and is third only to Federer and Nadal in the all time list. 

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGhuJI-CHew

“I’ve been nominated by my fellow players, I did not proactively run for council,” Djokovic told reporters after a defeat to Danill Medvedev at the ATP Finals.

“I was saying before and I’m going to say it again: We want to collaborate with ATP, and we want to be able to potentially have a place in the ecosystem, because this is what players deserve,” he added.

“Now, with this rule that has been voted on last night, that actually is a strong message from ATP that they don’t want PTPA at all in the system. So it’s very clear.”

“We are just trying to fight for a better position and better treatment out there in the ecosystem, and that’s all there is. It’s unfortunate really to see that the ATP’s position is such, but OK, now we know where we stand.”

Djokovic went on to clarify his stance in a series of tweets. The current number one made his decision clear and cleared away any doubts surrounding it. 

The tweets read, “As you know, I am part of the PTPA, an organization that was recently created with no intention of being in conflict with the ATP.” 

“The PTPA has yet to be structured with the strategy and long term vision yet to be clearly defined, and although the PTPA has made it clear it does not intend to be combative, it is unclear how the ATP will view the association in the future.”

‘Unfortunately, given these latest developments I feel it is now necessary to remove myself from the list of candidates. I do not wish to create conflict or uncertainty around the player elections or create any issues that may arise. I do this reluctantly and with a heavy heart.” 

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWZ94jRemmU