Top five pictures of Novak Djokovic in 2022
21-time Grand Slam Champion Novak Djokovic had a hot and cold season in 2022. The Serb managed to add to his Grand Slam tally by capturing his seventh Wimbledon title at the All England Club and finished the season on a strong note by winning three titles in quick succession. However, he would've felt gutted to miss out on participating at the Australian Open and US Open Championships. There were still plenty of positives for Djokovic to take into next season and as usual, the Serb expressed himself to the fullest on and off the court.
Let's take a look at his top five moments captured on camera in 2022.
5) Visa controversy at the Australian Open
Novak Djokovic has won the Australian Open a record nine times in his career. Amidst the coronavirus outbreak, it was necessary for players to adhere to a particular set of rules to participate in tournaments that took place in different parts of the world. Players were required to get themselves vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter Australian borders and compete at the Australian Open in Melbourne. While most of the players on the ATP tour followed protocol, Djokovic stayed firm on his anti-vaccination stance. He flew to Australia with a medical exemption and arrived in Melbourne in the first week of January. However, the Australian authorities emphasized on receiving acceptable proof for the Serb's exemption to qualify, which Djokovic could not provide. After multiple appeals to the Australian government and being forced to quarantine in an airport hotel, Djokovic was eventually denied participation in any of the tournaments in the country. Australian immigration Minister Alex Hawke canceled Djokovic's visa for not providing acceptable proof of his vaccine exemption and the 35-year-old started the season on a sour note, after being told to leave Australia due to the decision made against him. The drama of the whole situation is captured perfectly in the photograph above which shows mask-claden Djokovic leaving in a car as media personnel surround him.
4) Djokovic makes his return to the tour in Dubai
Djokovic made his much awaited return to the men's tour at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. He walked out to huge cheers as he played his first match of the 2022 season against Lorenzo Musetti in the first round. The Serb put up a formidable performance against the Italian, outfoxing him in straight sets 6-3, 6-3. He followed it up with another impressive win against Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6(2) but eventually bowed out to Czech qualifier Jiri Vesely in the quarterfinals. The former World No. 1 didn't shy away from showing his emotions on the court after scoring his wins, as seen in the picture above, putting a difficult start to the season behind him at the ATP 500 event.
3) Wings Activated at Wimbledon
The 35-year-old finally found some major success in 2022 at Wimbledon. He defeated the likes of Tim van Rijthoven, Jannik Sinner, Cameron Norrie and Nick Kyrgios en route to the 21st Grand Slam win of his career. The above picture went viral during his quarterfinal clash against Jannik Sinner, when he struck this pose after he ran towards the ball and completed an unreal backhand crosscourt winner to everyone's surprise on Center Court. Djokovic also shared a picture of the moment on Instagram and captioned it "Wings activated."
2) Giving a meomarable sending off to a legend
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray teamed up together for the first time in over a decade at the 2022 Laver Cup in London. They represented Team Europe and took on the likes of Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and a few other players on the men's tour who represented Team World. The event was supposed to be Roger Federer's last ever competitive appearance, as he called the curtains on his astonishing tennis career in London. It was an emotional moment for everyone present at the O2 Arena, as the Swiss Maestro completed his final match at the Laver Cup. Djokovic and the other players present for the occasion celebrated the moment by picking up Federer on their shoulders and giving him a lap of honor, as seen in the photo above.
1) Battling through fatigue and rejoicing the winning moment with his son in Turin
Djokovic entered the ATP Finals in Turin on the back of 14 wins out of 15 matches and title-winning runs at the Tel Aviv Open in Israel and the Astana Open in Kazakhstan. He eased past Andrey Rublev in the first round 6-4, 6-1, but was forced to dig deep against Daniil Medvedev in the second. The Serb clearly looked fatigued during a time break, seen in the photo above, as his body started to shiver and he covered his face with a towel. He later clarified that it was just tiredness and not anything serious. Not only did Djokovic outlast Medvedev in a grueling three-set tie, he also went on to remain undefeated throughout the event and claimed his sixth ATP Finals title in Turin.
He celebrated the moment with his son Stefan (pictured above), daughter Tara, wife Jelena and other team members on and off the court. The 35-year-old was ecstatic to end a difficult year on a high and didn't shy away from showing his emotions at the Pala Alpitour in Turin.