Novak Djokovic Admits He Still Suffers From 'Trauma' After 2022 Australia Detention
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Novak Djokovic has revealed that the scars from his detention and eventual deportation before the 2022 Australian Open have not fully healed.
Much has happened since Djokovic's detention in Australia, one of the most high-profile sports stories of 2022. The Serbian responded to that anxiety by winning four more Grand Slams, three of which came in 2023.
Djokovic also won his maiden Olympic gold medal at this year's Olympics. Thus, he has won every significant honor in tennis and is the most statistically successful player in tennis history.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion began his 2025 season at the Brisbane International. He suffered a surprising quarterfinal defeat in straight sets against the huge-serving Reilly Opelka after a lackluster performance.
Djokovic also competed in the doubles with Nick Kyrgios, who played in just his second ATP tournament since the end of the 2022 season in Brisbane. The pair produced magic to win their opening match before falling in the next round.
Next week's Australian Open will be Djokovic's next tournament. He is a ten-time champion at the season's opening Grand Slam, meaning the 37-year-old has many happy memories of the tournament and country.
However, Djokovic's image of Australia will always be tainted by the saga that created headlines worldwide at the start of 2022. At the time, the country had strict entry requirements for those not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Djokovic was initially given a medical exemption for the 2022 Australian Open, but the Australian Border Force detained him after determining he did not meet the requirement for an unvaccinated traveler.
That led to Djokovic's detention at an immigration hotel for five days before the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia ordered his release and awarded him costs. After that decision, it seemed that he would be able to play at the Australian Open.
Unfortunately for Djokovic, Alex Hawke, Australia's Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, exercised his ministerial powers to cancel Djokovic's visa, and he was deported out of the country.
The story caused a sharp division among not just tennis fans but people around the world. Some were outraged by how Djokovic was treated and thought the rules against unvaccinated people were too strict, while others felt he deserved to be deported.
Djokovic recently spoke honestly to the Morning Herald about the saga. The tennis legend admitted he still had some trauma when going through passport control and immigration in Australia because of the memories it brought up.
"I have to be quite frank. The last couple of times that I landed in Australia, to go through passport control and immigration - I had a bit of trauma from three years ago."
"And some traces still stay there when I'm passing passport control, just checking out if someone from immigration zone is approaching. The person checking my passport — are they going to take me, detain me again or let me go? I must admit I have that feeling."
Djokovic managed to overcome those concerns at the 2023 Australian Open, but he lost in last year's semifinal to Jannik Sinner.
