"I will be waiting for permission" Djokovic on Australian Open participation
ATP
Novak Djokovic still doesn't know whether he will be allowed to compete at the 2023 Australian Open, but he remains positive.
The Serbian player was forced to miss two of the last four majors. He first couldn't play at the Australian Open this year, after he was deported from the country, and later, he wasn't able to play at the US Open either, as he couldn't enter the United States.
With the Australian Open coming closer with each day passing, Djokovic must once again start thinking about his participation in Melbourne, and whether it will be possible.
After he was deported from the country, he received a ban that prevents him from entering the country in 2023. Now, he spoke to Serbian publication Sportal, admitting that he hopes the ban could be overturned.
"For the choices I made, I knew there would be certain consequences like not going to America, and that is it. For Australia it was a different case, I had the exception, but in the end, it did not work out."
"We know what happened, let’s not go back. This time, I am waiting for permission again. It is a good thing that they have now opened the borders for unvaccinated foreigners traveling to Australia."
"I have that ban, I hope it will be lifted. As I said, it is not in my hands, I hope the people in the Australian Government will give a positive answer, that is all."
Djokovic also spoke about his rivals. Carlos Alcaraz is currently the ATP World No. 1 player, and even though Djokovic knows that if he was allowed to compete in the two majors, he could have occupied the spot, he has no problem giving the youngster recognition.
"Alcaraz is the World No. 1, he is the best. Nothing more to add, the rankings show it. It is a fact that I played less, Wimbledon points did not count, maybe it would have been different in different circumstances, but that is a 'what if'."
