"My colleagues, that really hurt me a lot" - Novak Djokovic admits disappointment about reaction from fellow pros

Novak Djokovic was disappointed with some of the reactions he got from fellow tennis players in Melbourne once he rejoined the event from detention.

In the interview Djokovic did with BBC he admitted to feeling disappointed about some of the reactions he got from fellow tennis players. After having his visa reinstated, Djokovic arrived at the facilities to train but he felt a different kind of energy from his peers and it hurt him:

"The visa was reinstated. First revoked, then reinstated, then revoked again. So I was free for four days and I was training, but it was not regular kind of training days that I would normally have prior to a Grand Slam competition. I had helicopters flying above every single training session that I had on the Rod Laver Arena, cameras all over the place, also my colleagues, and that really hurt me a lot you know, because I felt that energy and those looks from my colleagues and people that were in the tennis facility."

Asked why was that, Djokovic admitted that they probably formed a perception based on media reports.

"Obviously I understand that they had a perception that was based on what they were seeing from media reports and I wasn't able... I wasn't going out in the media because of what I previously said in [terms of] respecting the legal process and respecting the Australian Open."

The whole ordeal was very unpleasant for Djokovic who admitted to feeling powerless:

"Yes, I did feel powerless. When I arrived, I was not allowed to use my phone for three, four hours. It was the middle of the night, from 1am to 9am. I didn't get any sleep because I was going through questioning every 30 minutes, basically. You know I had many, many interviews that were started and then stopped and then paused, and then I waited for the person to speak to his superiors, then he would come back. It went on for the entire night."