Novak Djokovic has provided an update on a potential appearance at the 2023 Australian Open. The Serbian was deported from the country at the beginning of the year which forced him to miss 2022’s opening grand slam.
He is now waiting to learn whether he can go back to the country in January for the 2023 edition of the Australian grand slam, as those who lose their visa receiving an automatic three-year ban from returning. The nine-time champion at Melbourne Park pledged to return to the country next year if he was allowed despite a dramatic ordeal back in January.
After his convincing opening round win at the Astana Open victory yesterday, per Novosti, Djokovic said: “I'm still waiting for news that my ban will be lifted, I think I've been banned from travelling for three years due to circumstances earlier this year. Once that is removed, I need to apply for a visa. I want to go and I want to play there.”
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley is optimistic of seeing all the top players at next year’s edition of the event, including the former world number one. “We are on track to have all the top players back,” he said on Wednesday. “We are at a different point in time now than we were nine months ago and I think it’s a very different environment with people travelling freely around the world and we hope to have all the best players here in January.”
Focusing on the present however, Djokovic has powered through his Astana Open round of 16 tie against Botic van de Zandschulp earlier today. The 35-year-old produced a fine all-round display to defeat the Dutch star 6-3, 6-1 at the ATP 500 event in Kazakhstan.
“I think my serve worked very well when I needed to get out of the trouble in the first set particularly,” said Djokovic, who has not dropped serve in his past three matches. “There were some 30/30 games, and when I broke his serve for 4-2, I faced a break point and I came in, and he had a look at that passing shot and he missed it.
"The match is decided in these moments. [Between] 5-2 or 4-3 up there is a big difference, and I served well to end the first set." He added: “[In the] second set I think I started to read his serve better and just started swinging through the court more.
"Botic is a quality tennis player. When he has time, he can hurt you, so I tried to take away that time from him and I’m very pleased with the way I played, particularly in the second.”
Djokovic won his maiden encounter with van de Zandschulp and will take on the hard-hitting Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals.
