"When we are observing greatness, we respect it and cheer accordingly" - Australian Open CEO praises spectators for positive reception received by Novak Djokovic
ATP
Although Novak Djokovic was apprehensive about the crowd's reaction this year in Australia, he was pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed by the positive reception. In light of that, Australian Open director Craig Tiley has labeled the Aussies the "fairest" crowd in the world.
In 2022, the Serbian star was infamously deported a day before his favorite tournament kicked off due to his unvaccinated status against COVID-19. He also received a three-year ban, which was lifted last November by the new central government. A couple of months later, on January 29, Djokovic won his 10th Australian Open title and equaled Rafael Nadal's record of 22 Majors.
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The tennis world was divided after what happened last year and hence, the 35-year-old was worried about how he would be received. But the Australians showered their love for the player every time he stepped foot on the court. Speaking on The AO Show podcast, Tiley revealed that the Serb was nervous when he first arrived in Adelaide.
"This was a particularly emotional year for Novak. I could see the tension on his face when I saw him the first time," Tiley said. "We had met a few times last year and I knew that he was feeling nervous about coming back to Australia. He was very nervous when he first arrived and flew directly into Adelaide. There was a lot of press and talk around him coming in and being booed."
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The 61-year-old further stated that he was proud of the Australian public who produced the loudest of cheers for the World No. 1 and made him feel welcome, adding that they respected the fact that they were "observing greatness."
"You need to give credit to the Australian sporting public that enjoys the sport," he added. "We are the fairest in the world. When we are observing greatness, we respect it and cheer accordingly. That's exactly what happened and he was really welcomed back.
"He went through a tough time last year for a number of different reasons, primarily driven by his own choice. But he came and once he got settled in Adelaide, South Australia did a magnificent job in welcoming him."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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