Novak Djokovic found immense success during the 2021 season. He even came close to winning the Calendar Slam, as he lost to Daniil Medvedev in the final of the US Open. Nonetheless, the Serb was in the form of his life, dishing out some eye-catching displays.

However, this season began on a contrasting note for Djokovic. He was embroiled in a visa controversy on his arrival in Australia to defend his Australian Open title. In the end, he was disallowed to participate in the opening Grand Slam tournament of the season after his deportation from Australia. Recently, he talked about how these events resulted in a lack of success during the early part of the 2022 season.

Novak Djokovic recounts his torrid time in Australia

In the recently concluded Wimbledon Championships, the former World Number 1 came out on top after a thrilling victory over Nick Kyrgios in the finals. Earlier this week, he celebrated his success with his fans in his native country. During his victory speech in Belgrade, he opened up about the events in Australia this year.

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Djokovic said, “As for the beginning of the year, it is something that shook me and my family and close people a lot. The year started in an ugly way for me. What happened in Australia happened. I left it behind, but I was followed by the experiences for months, those wrong views and judgements. It is Christian to forgive, and we are Christians, we look, we forgive.”

Further, he added, “Only God and people around me know what happened. I would not like to talk about it now and make it seem that I’m complaining. That all influenced this moment, motivated and inspired me to return to the paths of old glory, to fight for the biggest trophies in sports.”

Djokovic falls in the ATP rankings

As ranking points weren’t on offer at this year’s Wimbledon, the Serb lost 2000 ranking points despite defending his Wimbledon title. As a result, he dropped four places to move to the seventh spot on the ATP rankings chart.

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Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev continues to top the men’s singles rankings.