The return of Novak Djokovic (34)!

The tennis star plays his first match after the Australian disaster today. In January, Djokovic was expelled from the country after weeks of wrangling because the Serbs were not vaccinated. He was not able to defend his title at the Australian Open.

Now the world number one is only focused on the ball of the ball again – and back today! At the ATP tournament in Dubai, Djokovic will meet Italian Lorenzo Mossetti (19) at 5:30 pm (BILD indicators live).

Before returning to the field, the 20-times Grand Slam winner also spoke about the time following his expulsion from Australia.

Djokovic: “Of course there was a lot of emotions when I came back from Australia. So I needed some time to think and recover mentally. I was disappointed. I was sad about what happened and how I left the country. Once I recover, which didn’t take long, I was really looking forward to it. To play tennis and compete again.”

At the tournament in Dubai, professionals do not need to be vaccinated. For professionals like tennis player Djokovic, only a negative PCR test is sufficient to participate. This varies for most major leagues. Djokovic also knows.

He says, “Every time I’m allowed to participate in a tournament, I’ll try to travel to this country and play there. Of course I don’t intend to play a full season. It wasn’t my intention from the start either. I aimed to do my best in Grand Slam tournaments and in some Masters tournaments. 1000. But it’s different for me at the moment of course. I really can’t decide: I’m going to play wherever I can, wherever I have the chance.”

Murir for Djokovic: Despite his comeback, he could lose his place at the top of the rankings this week. Daniil Medvedev (26) only won the tournament he played in Acapulco (Mexico) to remove Djokovic from the throne.

Ironically, permanent opponent Rafael Nadal (35) can help him in the first defense. The Spaniard also competes in Acapulco, as does Alexander Zverev (24). Djokovic could use a little shooting…