Aus Open boss discloses private Djokovic chats ahead of ban return

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Australian Open boss Craig Tiley revealed he had been in constant communication with Novak Djokovic throughout the year as the Serb waited to learn whether he could return to the tournament. After having his three-year ban on entering the country removed, the Aussie Open director now believes Djokovic will be the “favourite” when he returns.

Djokovic is gearing up to compete in Australia for the first time in two years after finding himself deported from the country on the eve of the Australian Open back in January. He was subsequently barred from returning until 2025 but had the ban lifted and will be back in Adelaide next month before heading to Melbourne Park in his quest for Grand Slam glory.

The Australian Open tournament director has now discussed the return of their nine-time champion, and revealed he had private chats with the Serb all year before claiming that the 35-year-old was currently playing the best tennis of his peers. “We are focused on welcoming Novak back,” Tiley told the Times of India.

“He arrives next week. He’s playing an event in Adelaide and then plays the Australian Open. I talked to him a lot during the year, he’s a great champion.” The Tennis Australia CEO also shared his thoughts on the reception Djokovic would receive upon his return, claiming he had plenty of fans Down Under.

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Tiley continued: “He’s playing the best tennis and is going to be the favourite coming in. He’s popular in Australia, he has a big fan base here.” Tennis Australia famously granted Djokovic a medical exemption to enter the country unvaccinated at the start of the year when the jab was still a requirement, and the Serb ultimately ended up having his visa cancelled twice and spending time in a government detention hotel before he was deported.

Looking back on the events, Tiley explained how tough it was to stage the tournament during the pandemic. “The last two years have been very difficult for everyone across the world, not just the Australian Open. If you take a step back and look, those circumstances were beyond our control,” he said.

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“That situation, would we have preferred for it not to happen? Absolutely. We would’ve preferred for it not to happen. Did we do everything we could’ve possibly done at the time? Yes, we did.”

Djokovic will return to Melbourne Park a year on, bidding to win a record 10th Australian Open crown, which would also see him tie Rafael Nadal in the overall men’s singles Grand Slam race with 22 titles.

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