Novak Djokovic was back inside Arthur Ashe Stadium as he clocked valuable minutes in his first practice session ahead of the 2023 US Open.
Djokovic hadn't set foot inside New York since a straight sets defeat to Daniil Medvedev in the 2021 final, which consequently ended his bid for a Calendar Grand Slam. But since the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted earlier this year, unvaccinated foreign travelers were free to enter the country.
The crowd turned up in huge numbers to queue outside the iconic center court in all of tennis, just to catch a glimpse of Novak Djokovic and some lucky fans were able to manage to get Djokovic's autograph and take back home some memento.
Djokovic spoke during the tournament in Cincinnati where he played his first matches on American soil for the first time, about the uncertainty of being accepted on his return, not because he was unvaccinated, but being away for a considerable amount of time and missing the bond and connection with the fans in the US.
But it was a highly successful start to the US swing, as he won his first tournament back, beating Carlos Alcaraz in a remarkable final that lasted almost four hours. He couldn't have asked for a better reception not just in Cincinnati, but now in New York where the crowd was raucous when he was introduced to Arthur Ashe Stadium for his first practice.
Djokovic then spent part of his practice session rekindling some old memories. During his earlier years, Djokovic was famed for being the 'Joker' largely because of his comedic antics both on and off the court. Well, he treated fans to that old Joker with the impersonation of former and current tennis players.
Djokovic hilariously impersonated the service routine and motion of players like Maria Sharapova, John McEnroe, Nick Kyrgios, and even his coach Goran Ivanisevic.
"The Joker is all jokes. They don't call him the Joker for nothing."
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