Novak Djokovic wants to let bygones be bygones over the treatment he received from Australian immigration officials in a chastening experience earlier this year.
Djokovic became the source of international headlines after his visa was revoked following a widespread backlash by the Australian public over his Covid-19 vaccine exemption upon arrival.
Despite being cleared by two independent medical panels put in place by Tennis Australia, Djokovic did not make it past the border officials, who rejected his exemption document.
The Serb's stance on the coronavirus vaccine is known. He is opposed to the idea of getting vaccinated. After being detained in a government facility for days, Djokovic eventually lost his bid to overturn the government's decision to cancel his visa in a court of law and was deported.
The ordeal will forever remain one of the lowest moments of his career. He drew the ire of Australian citizens, who argued that World No. 1 was getting preferential treatment when he announced that he was traveling to the country with an exemption.
The moment became a hot topic, and Djokovic recently learned that the government that oversaw the entire mess got ousted at the last elections. He holds no grudges towards Australia, a country where he has won nine of his 20 Grand Slams, and has said that he wants to "erase" that memory.
"Part of me would like to erase what happened in Australia from my memory. For the first 2-3 months of the year, I didn’t feel balanced. In Dubai/Monte-Carlo, it was hard mentally as I really felt the unsettled energy around me. Now I’m feeling on top of my game again."
Djokovic, who is competing at the 2022 Roland Garros, defeated Briton Aljaz Bedene to reach the second week. He will face Argentina's Diego Schwartzman in the fourth round.