Novak Djokovic has revealed that he still feels “traumatised” when he travels Down Under for the Australian Open.
Three years ago, the Serb was detained when he arrived in Melbourne for the hard-court Grand Slam as he didn’t meet the Covid vaccine requirements to enter the country at the time.
After two separate stints in a quarantine hotel, Djokovic was ultimately deported on the eve of the tournament.
Although he has since travelled to the country and even won the Australian Open after the ordeal, the world No. 7 still fears a similar incident.
Djokovic lifted the trophy when he returned to the tournament in 2023 and, last year, he made it all the way to the semi-final. The Serb is back Down Under this year as he continues his quest to make history.
He reached the quarter-final of last week’s Brisbane International and has since travelled to Melbourne for the first Grand Slam of the season. As he made the trip, Djokovic confessed he was still traumatised by his experience in 2022.
“I have (some trauma) to be quite frank,” the world No. 7 told the Herald Sun.
“The 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.
“And some traces still stay there when I’m passing passport control, just checking out if someone from immigration zone is approaching. The person checking my passport – are they going to take me, detain me again or let me go? I must admit I have that feeling.”
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