

Australian Open CEO Craig Tiley hopes that the nation’s tennis fans will treat Novak Djokovic fairly. The Serb will visit Melbourne in 2023. Djokovic’s temporary visa has received approval from the Department of Home Affairs.
The Serb had his visa ban waived under certain circumstances. The 35-year-old has suffered greatly on the tennis circuit as a result of his adamant refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
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Australian Open boss aims to garner support for Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic was unable to participate in the ongoing US Open, two Masters 1000 tournaments (Canadian Open and Cincinnati Masters), and the Australian Open earlier this year. He was denied entry into various countries for his vaccination stance.

via Reuters
Tennis – ATP 500 – Astana Open – National Tennis Center, Astana, Kazakhstan – October 8, 2022, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts during his semi-final match against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev REUTERS/Pavel Mikheyev
The Serb had also been denied entry to Canada and the United States of America. The Australian Open CEO, Craig Tiley, was quoted as “I think the Australian public will enjoy coming to the Australian Open”. He also shared that he thinks fans will welcome all the players fairly.
For his part in the course of the Djokovic saga, Tiley had received a lot of backlash. He also explained, “We’re a very fair crowd. We celebrate success, and we reward that,..”
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The CEO also clarified, “If you look at [Djokovic’s] form- you can argue he’s the best player in the world. He’s an unbelievable tennis player and this is the place he’s won the most…” He also shared that the Serb would not let the young players take the title away from him.
With a record payday, Djokovic surpasses many players as the top earner of ’22
At the ATP Tour Finals in Turin, Djokovic defeated Casper Ruud in straight sets. The Serbian tennis ace won the event and earned the highest payout in the sport’s history, $4.74 million. With $2.3 million more than Carlos Alcarez, who was ranked second, his total prize money for the year increased to $9.93 million. Additionally, it meant that he earned the most prize money among men and women in 2022.
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WATCH THIS STORY: Novak Djokovic’s epic finals against Rafael Nadal, .. at the Australian Open
He finished just ahead of the top-ranked woman’s player, Iga Switek, who took home $9.88 million, just $59,000 less than Djokovic. Rafael Nadal trails him by $32 million in terms of career prize money, with $165 million. Let us know what you think about the Serb in your comments below.
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