Novak Djokovic has arrived in Adelaide ahead of his first assignment of the 2023 season, the Adelaide International 1. The Serb could not compete in the 2022 Australian Open after failing to comply with Australia's vaccination requirements. He was subsequently deported and received a three-year visa ban from the country.
However, Immigration Minister Andrew Giles overturned the Serb's visa ban, thus allowing him to compete in Australia.
Djokovic will start his 2023 season at the Adelaide International 1 and the tournament's director Alister MacDonald is delighted to see him compete. While speaking to Channel 9, MacDonald stated the Serb looked in good touch and appeared ready to take on all the contenders.
"He looked fantastic today," said MacDonald. "He's arrived in Adelaide ready to take on all the contenders here. We're really looking forward to him, he's looking sharp and his team's thrilled to be in Adelaide. He knows Adelaide pretty well, he knows what to expect, the conditions are pretty similar to Melbourne. So I think his whole team is really, really happy to be here in Adelaide.
"Obviously, he's got a big team around him, he's very particular about the way he prepares and even today, being on the court for the first time, you really get a sense for the preparation that goes into each and every training session, and he's also very particular about his food. So, we're just making sure that he can get a good vegan feed and the team's been excellent so far."