World No. 1 Novak Djokovic recently opened up about the training sessions in between his deportation saga. In what came to be called the ‘first interview of Djokovic post the deportation’, Djokovic stressed upon how his fellow players reacted towards him during that time. 

Alike other top players, Djokovic is also known to have a friendly relationship with his peers. However, that wasn’t the case during his training sessions at this year’s Australian Open. Novak claimed that seeing the attitude of his fellow players towards him really hurt him.

Novak’s stay in Australia was a series of ups and downs. Initially, the player’s visa was revoked. However, during his court hearing, it was reinstated, and hence, Novak began training. But the happiness was short as his visa was revoked again and he was deported from the country. 

The painful attitude of his colleagues

While speaking to BBC, Novak opened up on his training sessions, which he attended in between his deportation tale. He elaborated on how these training sessions were different from regular training sessions. He mentioned that helicopters flew over the Rod Laver Arena and there were cameras all over the place during each of his training sessions. 

However, what Djokovic felt most painful was the attitude of his colleagues towards him. He spoke about the looks that he received from his fellow players and the other people on the premises. “That really hurt me a lot. I felt that energy and those looks from my colleagues and people that were in the tennis facility.” He further added, “I was a very uncomfortable feeling that I had during those days.”

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However, instead of giving a negative reaction, the Serbian took the situation with utmost understanding as he went on to justify the reason behind those looks. “I understand that they had a perception that was based on what they were seeing from media reports. I wasn’t able or I wasn’t going out in media.”

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The 9-time Australian Open champion expressed his feeling on what went on in his mind during that time. He said, “At that time I really wanted to speak up to everyone and give my explanation because I greatly care about the relationships with people.”

Novak Djokovic and his Australian open saga

On January 5th, Novak Djokovic was given an exemption by Tennis Australia. However, arriving in Melbourne on 6th January, he was detained at the airport and his visa was canceled by the authorities. 

4 days later, on 10th January, Djokovic’s visa was reinstated by a lower court. Within hours, Djokovic was seen practicing on the court. 

On 12th January, Djokovic took to his social media, blaming his travel agent for ticking the incorrect box in his travel declaration form. He termed it as a ‘human error, which was certainly not deliberate’. On 13th January, the Australian Open released its draw, with the Serbian being the top seed.

Watch this story- From Locker Room Fight to Deportation: Biggest Australian Open Controversies

However, the stars seemed to be unaligned for the World No. 1 as on 14th January, his visa exemption was overturned by the Australian immigration minister, Alex Hawke. Djokovic kept his hopes alive by appealing in the Federal court. However, the court upheld the minister’s decision, and Djokovic was deported from the country.