{"id":17578,"date":"2025-01-08T01:44:58","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T01:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=17578"},"modified":"2025-01-08T01:44:58","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T01:44:58","slug":"novak-djokovics-controversial-trauma-remark-about-australian-open-earns-local-politicians-ire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=17578","title":{"rendered":"Novak Djokovic’s controversial ‘trauma’ remark about Australian Open earns local politician’s ire"},"content":{"rendered":"

Novak Djokovic said he still feels \u201ca bit of trauma\u201d when\u00a0he travels to Australia<\/span>, stemming from\u00a0his deportation in 2022<\/span>\u00a0because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe 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,\u201d Djokovic said in an interview with\u00a0Melbourne\u2019s Herald Sun<\/span>\u00a0newspaper published Monday, ahead of the Australian Open. \u201cAnd some traces still stay there when I\u2019m passing passport control, just checking out if someone from immigration zone is approaching.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Djokovic, who has won 10 of his\u00a024 Grand Slam championships<\/span>\u00a0at Melbourne Park, continued: \u201cThe person checking my passport \u2014 are they going to take me, detain me again or let me go? I must admit I have that feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Back in 2022, Djokovic sought, and initially obtained, an exemption that would allow him into the Australian Open \u2014 and the country \u2014 even though there were strict rules requiring shots to protect against the coronavirus. But after his flight landed, he was detained at the airport, his visa was canceled and he was sent to an immigration hotel.<\/p>\n

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A judge later reinstated the visa and ordered Djokovic\u2019s release, ruling he wasn\u2019t given enough time to speak to his lawyers. Australia\u2019s immigration minister then took away the visa again, based on \u201cpublic interest.\u201d Djokovic\u2019s appeal of that ruling was denied by a three-judge panel, and he was deported. He faced a possible three-year ban from the country as someone whose visa was revoked, but Australia had a change of government, its pandemic border rules changed and a new immigration minister granted Djokovic a visa in 2023 \u2014 when he\u00a0went on to claim the trophy<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t hold any resentment, to be honest,\u201d Djokovic told the Herald Sun about the saga. \u201cI don\u2019t hold a grudge.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Australian Open begins Sunday (Saturday EST), and Djokovic will be pursuing his 11th trophy in Melbourne to add to his men\u2019s record and an unprecedented 25th major singles title overall.<\/p>\n

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A year ago, Djokovic lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI just hope to, before I retire, get at least one more title there,\u201d said the 37-year-old Djokovic, whose\u00a0only triumph at a tournament in 2024<\/span>\u00a0was his\u00a0singles gold medal for Serbia at the Paris Olympics<\/span>\u00a0in August.<\/p>\n

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Djokovic opened 2025 at the Brisbane International last week,\u00a0losing in the quarterfinals to Reilly Opelka<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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At the Australian Open, Djokovic will be playing in his first event alongside\u00a0new coach Andy Murray<\/span>, his former on-court rival and a three-time major champion who retired as a player after the Summer Games. Murray and Djokovic have said they will partner up through the year\u2019s initial Grand Slam tournament.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Novak Djokovic said he still feels \u201ca bit of trauma\u201d when\u00a0he travels to Australia, stemming from\u00a0his deportation in 2022\u00a0because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19.   \u201cThe… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis"],"yoast_head":"\nNovak Djokovic's controversial 'trauma' remark about Australian Open earns local politician's ire - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=17578\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Novak Djokovic's controversial 'trauma' remark about Australian Open earns local politician's ire - 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