The Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic (5) assured this Thursday that it is “great to be back in Australia”, almost a year after his deportation for not having been vaccinated against the coronavirus, which he considered “a valuable experience”, although “nothing easy”.
“It’s great to be back in Australia“, said the Serbian in statements published by ATP after training in Adelaide, where he will play the ATP 250 tournament, which starts on January 1, to prepare his return to the Australian Open, from 16 to 29 in Melbourne.
Djokovic, who won the Aus Open nine times, had to leave that country in January of this year before the start of the tournament because he had not been vaccinated against Covid when this was mandatory in Australia for any traveler.
On that occasion, the Australian authorities denied him the exemption and proceeded to deport him, also prohibiting him from entering the country for the next three years, although they later lifted that decision.
Djokovic, when asked about the issue, acknowledged: “What happened twelve months ago was not easy and of course it is disappointing to leave the country like this. It’s one of those things that will stay with you for the rest of my life. I have never experienced anything like this and I hope I never will again.”
The winner of 21 Grand Slams will seek his tenth title in Australia and promised to “do everything possible to play good tennis and give good emotions and good sensations to the public.”
The Australian Open will distribute a record number of prizes
The 2023 edition of the Australian Open tennis tournament, the first Grand Slam tournament of the season scheduled to start on Monday, January 16 next year, will offer the record amount of 48.3 million euros (76.5 million Australian dollars). in prizes.
This amount represents an increase of 3.4% compared to the 2022 edition. and confirms the trend of the last 20 years in which the competition’s prizes have more than tripled, reported ANSA.
In this way, the winner of the men’s tournament and the winner of the women’s draw will receive 1.88 million euros each.
The number that players eliminated in previous instances of the tournament will receive will also increase.: those who are fired in the first round will receive 67,000 euros while those who lose in their second game will receive almost 100,000.
Tournament Director Craig Tiley stated that the total prize money from tournaments played during the Australian summer will exceed 63.2 million euros for the first time.
“Being able to deliver the best opportunities is the key to ensuring the success of these tournaments and ensuring that the best players are rewarded as they deserve,” Tiley stressed.
