"He dove within himself and understood who he was": Alex Corretja believes Novak Djokovic Australian Open deportation lit a fire inside of him
ATP
Tennis pundit Alex Corretja believes that the tennis world
is witnessing the best version of Serbia’s Novak Djokovic after the fiasco
during the 2022 Australian Open.
The 36-year-old was deported from Australia after having
issues with his COVID-19 vaccination status and was subsequently not allowed to
participate in the first Grand Slam of the last year.
Corretja was recently quoted in a report where he suggested
that the whole incident made Djokovic a completely different beast on the tennis court,
something the world has never seen before.
“I think what happened to him in Australia led him to a long
introspection,” he said.“He dove within himself and understood who he was. And
he just got deep inside his soul, his body, his mind. And from then on, he’s
understood and dealt with everything better.
“He knows the people from outside better, what they think
about him. Even the fellow tennis players, which ones were a little more on his
side, which ones were not. So I think it’s like it woke up a beast inside him
that he had, and he’s now controlling all his emotions much better than before.
“And I see now that even players or the crowd appreciate him
even more than before because he’s authentic, he’s natural, he’s himself, and
he’s not trying to go with a mass, saying things to make everyone happy.
“He’s just gone with his principles. You might like them or
you might not, but definitely he’s someone who is going to fight for whatever
he feels he needs to go for. And he does that with the association that he’s
creating for the players [PTPA], the way he’s acting on court.
“So I think we are seeing probably the best version of Novak
Djokovic overall. Of course, maybe he’s a little bit different than five to ten
years ago. But overall, I think we’ve seen probably the best performance of
Novak in the whole history.”
Azeem Siddiqui is a seasoned sports journalist and data analyst with a strong background in both digital media and live sports production.
He began his journalism career working with partners of The New York Times and has since contributed to several leading international sports publications, including Fox Sports Asia, Calciomercato, and GiveMeSport. Since 2023, Azeem has been part of the TennisUpToDate team, where he has played a key role in sustaining the platform’s growth and ensuring tennis fans receive timely and reliable coverage of the sport’s biggest stories.
In addition to his editorial work, Azeem has extensive experience as a data analyst in live sports broadcasting—particularly in cricket—where he combines analytical precision with creative storytelling. He has collaborated with multiple production companies and cricket boards worldwide, delivering real-time insights and data-driven narratives during live match coverage.
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