Australian Open director lauds spectators for welcoming Novak Djokovic with open arms at Australian Open 2023
Although Novak Djokovic was apprehensive about the crowd's reaction this year in Australia, he was pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed by the positive reception. In light of that, Australian Open director Craig Tiley has labeled the Aussies the "fairest" crowd in the world.
In 2022, the Serbian star was infamously deported a day before his favorite tournament kicked off due to his unvaccinated status against COVID-19. He also received a three-year ban, which was lifted last November by the new central government. A couple of months later, on January 29, Djokovic won his 10th Australian Open title and equaled Rafael Nadal's record of 22 Majors.
The tennis world was divided after what happened last year and hence, the 35-year-old was worried about how he would be received. But the Australians showered their love for the player every time he stepped foot on the court. Speaking on The AO Show podcast, Tiley revealed that the Serb was nervous when he first arrived in Adelaide.
"This was a particularly emotional year for Novak. I could see the tension on his face when I saw him the first time," Tiley said. "We had met a few times last year and I knew that he was feeling nervous about coming back to Australia. He was very nervous when he first arrived and flew directly into Adelaide. There was a lot of press and talk around him coming in and being booed."
The 61-year-old further stated that he was proud of the Australian public who produced the loudest of cheers for the World No. 1 and made him feel welcome, adding that they respected the fact that they were "observing greatness."
"You need to give credit to the Australian sporting public that enjoys the sport. We are the fairest in the world. When we are observing greatness, we respect it and cheer accordingly. That's exactly what happened and he was really welcomed back."
"He went through a tough time last year for a number of different reasons, primarily driven by his own choice. But he came and once he got settled in Adelaide, South Australia did a magnificent job in welcoming him," he added.
Craig Tiley talks up "manically focused" Novak Djokovic
After Rafael Nadal's 14 French Open titles, Novak Djokovic is the only player to have won at least 10 titles in one Grand Slam tournament. Craig Tiley was the tournament director on all ten occasions and he recently heaped praise on the Serb for his extraordinary achievement, calling him "maniacally focused."
"It's kind of like Rafa winning 14 at Roland Garros on the clay but this is remarkable, it's a hard court at the beginning of the year," Tiley said. "There's a lot of variables that can make that change and he's [Djokovic] remarkable. I haven't been around an athlete so maniacally focused on performance every single minute of every single day as he is. The results speak for themselves."
Djokovic will next be seen at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, to be played from February 27 to March 4.