Novak Djokovic is spotted on Australian Open practice courts just hours after his session had been cancelled… with the Serbian expected to play on Tuesday amid fears over his participation in Melbourne
- Novak Djokovic has scrapped his Australian Open practice session on Monday
- It is the second day in a row the Serbian star has cancelled a warm-up session
- The World No 5 struggled with a hamstring issue at the Adelaide International
- There are fears Djokovic could become the latest star to withdraw from the Open
- A ‘devastated’ Nick Kyrgios pulled out of his home tournament due to knee injury
Novak Djokovic has been spotted on the practice courts at the Australian Open shortly after cancelling a session for the second day in a row.
The fifth seed, who struggled with a hamstring issue at the tune-up Adelaide International tournament earlier in January, had scrapped a session on Monday, Australian Open organisers.
But pictures later emerged of him having a hit on the practice courts, allaying fears about his participation in the opening Grand Slam of the season.
There had been fears Novak Djokovic will become the latest star to pull out of the Australian Open
The World No 5 had cancelled his practice session for the second day in a row on Monday
The news comes after a ‘devastated’ Nick Kyrgios pulled out on Monday due to a knee injury
Djokovic, 35, is set to play his first-round match against Roberto Carballes Baena on Tuesday morning UK time.
Tournament organisers revealed on Monday morning that Djokovic’s session, which was due to begin at 7pm local time/8am GMT, had been taken off the official schedule.
The news comes after a ‘devastated’ Nick Kyrgios pulled out of his home tournament earlier on Monday because of a knee injury.
High-profile star Kyrgios won the doubles title with compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis at last year’s Australian Open and reached the final of the singles at Wimbledon.
Djokovic made his return to Melbourne on Friday for an exhibition match against Kyrgios
Djokovic said his controversial deportation ahead of last year’s Australian Open proved an unlikely catalyst for success in 2022, allowing him to regroup on the practice court before bouncing back with key titles.
The Serb trained hard in the months after he was deported and while barred from competing in the United States for not being vaccinated against Covid-19.
He later won his seventh Wimbledon crown and capped a year of disruption by winning the ATP Tour Finals for a sixth time in Turin.
Back at Melbourne Park after his visa ban was lifted by the Australian government, Djokovic said missing events due to his vaccination stance had renewed his determination on the training court.
The Serb was at the centre of a diplomatic storm 12 months ago when he was deported from Australia on the eve of the Australian Open for not complying with Covid-19 vaccine rules
Djokovic told reporters on Saturday he felt ‘the villain of the whole world’ last year
The 35-year-old bounced back, winning a 21st Grand Slam title as he triumphed at Wimbledon
‘Yes, absolutely. I mean, you normally, as a professional tennis player on the highest level, don’t have much time to really have a longer training block,’ Djokovic told reporters on Saturday.
‘The fact that I wasn’t playing for several months beginning of last year allowed me to really get together with my team and work on my body, on my strokes, which has later helped me to achieve some great results.’
Djokovic told local broadcaster Nine Network that he felt like ‘the villain of the world’ last year in Melbourne where he was detained at a hotel with asylum-seekers before being deported.
However, he was warmly received by a packed crowd at Rod Laver Arena on Friday night during a practice match against home hero Nick Kyrgios.
Advertisement