"He going to carry a big emotional baggage": Djokovic Australian Open return won't be easy according to Mouratoglou

Novak Djokovic's return at the Australian Open will be an emotional thing for him as he was deported fairly quickly after stepping out to practice on Rod Laver last year.

Noted tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes that Djokovic will be carrying that emotional baggage for the entirety of the event. How he handles that will greatly impact the way he plays at the event. He is unsure how he'll handle all of that but he knows that it's going to be tough as he is only human after all:

"It's going to be tough for Novak in Australia, that's for sure. He going to carry a big emotional baggage. He's been through so much, emotionally speaking. Nobody is immune."

He added that he hopes Djokovic doesn't fall apart like in 2021:

“It’s going to be hard. I hope he doesn't fall apart like he did at the US Open 2021 because there was too much. But it comes after probably a period where he has had a lot of rest. It's the pre-season, it's the off-season and there's no stress of competition. So he's going to be emotionally rested, which is good. And then he won't start directly with the Australian Open, so he'll have time to get used to the atmosphere there.”

He also spokea about Djokovic hopefully getting a warm reception:

“When you go into a tennis stadium and you see Djokovic playing, the least you can do is to respect these great champions, whether you like them or not, whether you agree with them or not. I think that's the minimum.”