Australian Open: Novak Djokovic is still ‘traumatized’ by being deported from Melbourne due to Covid

Novak Djokovic says he still experiences “trauma” when he visits Melbourne, three years after he was deported due to Australia’s Covid-19 regulations.

Djokovic, who was not vaccinated against the virus, got his the Australian government canceled the visa for “health and order”.

He was forced to stay in an immigration hotel for five days while he unsuccessfully appealed the decision and was eventually forced to leave the country, meaning he missed the 2022 Australian Open.

Djokovic returned to Melbourne the following year, with relaxed Covid restrictions, and went to win the Grand Slam for a record 10th time.

The Serbian (37) has returned to Australia and is preparing for the 2025 tournament, which starts on Sunday.

“The last couple of times when I landed in Australia, to go through passport control and immigration – I had a little trauma from three years ago,” Djokovic told Melbourne’s Gazette of Sun., external

“And there are still some traces left when I go through passport control, I’m just checking to see if anyone is approaching from the immigration zone.

“The person checking my passport – is he going to take me away, hold me back or let me go? I have to admit I have that feeling.”

He added: “I don’t mind. I came immediately the year after and won.

“My parents and the whole team were there and it was actually one of the most emotional wins I’ve ever had, considering everything I’d been through the year before.”

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said she preferred to focus on this year’s tournament.

“The responsibility for issuing visas is a federal government matter and those decisions were made by the federal government at the time,” said Allan, who was part of the government’s crisis cabinet leading Australia’s response to Covid 2022 – but was not involved in the Djokovic case.

“Covid was hard on all of us. It didn’t matter who you were, where you came from, Covid didn’t discriminate who it infected, how sick you were and how sick others in our community were.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticized the previous government’s handling of the situation, particularly the decision to bar Djokovic from an Orthodox priest ahead of Christmas, which most Orthodox Christians celebrate on January 7.

“I commented on it at the time. It was surprising to me that on the eve of Christmas, Novak Djokovic was denied the opportunity to see his Orthodox priest, a priest, by the then federal government during that period,” said Albanese, who became prime minister in May 2022.

“I think it was something that I think was hard to justify at the time.”

Djokovic hopes to win a record 25th Grand Slam title when he competes at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park next week.