Djokovic opens up about upcoming Australian Open and life - "I cry every time I leave home"
ATPThursday, 12 January 2023 at 16:00
Updated at Sunday, 17 August 2025 at 17:23
Novak Djokovic spoke about his life ahead of the 2023 Australian Open, opening up about several topics.
Djokovic will compete for an iconic 10th Australian Open title in a few days, and he has spoken on a variety of topics in the lead-up to the event in an interview with Tennis Majors.
It won't be easy to win the event for the Serbian player, as winning a major is difficult every time, and Djokovic singled out a few rivals when asked who the biggest challenges are.
"All the players from the top are the biggest rivals, that is always the case. Tsitsipas, Sinner, Zverev, of course Medvedev and Nadal, who is a veteran just like me."
"When it comes to younger players, it is obvious that Carlos Alcaraz, who sadly won’t be playing in Melbourne, and Holger Rune are frontrunners."
He also opened up about his upcoming documentary that should be coming this year. It's something that Djokovic thought about for a long time and he hopes it gives fans another glimpse at possibly the best player of all time.
"There have been some changes considering everything that happened last year. We had something set and then we had to alter our plans. Now we are adjusting to that, we do not yet have an exact date, but I think it should come out by the middle of this year."
In a candid response, Djokovic confirmed that leaving home for an event hurts him every time, as he leaves his family behind. He even admitted that he cries when it happens.
"It is not easy, there is no golden formula. Just like anyone who travels a lot due to the nature of their work, I have difficulties when it comes to seeing my wife and kids, my parents, brothers..."
"I do not get to spend as much time as I would like with my family – for instance, I will spend over a month in Australia now. That hurts, I cry every time I leave home."
He also talked about his legacy and how he would like to be remembered. Like most, Djokovic would like to be remembered for his virtues more so than his flaws.
"By my personal traits, hopefully more by my virtues than my flaws, which I have, just like any other human being. I try to live my life to the fullest and to remain aware of the fact that there are many people who were not as lucky as me."
"The way I grew up helped me preserve that awareness, I always try to remind myself where I came from. I hope that I spread positive energy towards sports fans throughout the world – I would love for people to feel nice when they come to see me play and that they remember me as someone who cares about others."
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