Novak Djokovic Says Players "Welcoming" On His Dubai Return

Novak Djokovic missed last month's Australian Open due to the cancellation of his visa and his deportation from Australia as a result of not being vaccinated

Novak Djokovic says he's been given a "positive" reception from players in the locker room and is "excited" to get back on court for his first match of the season at the Dubai ATP tournament on Monday. The world number one missed last month's Australian Open due to the cancellation of his visa and his deportation from Australia as a result of not being vaccinated. He returns to the tour this week in the Emirates, where he will be competing for the first time since the Davis Cup Finals in Madrid last December.

Ahead of his opening round against Italian wildcard Lorenzo Musetti, Djokovic spoke to reporters on Sunday night about how it feels to be back on the tennis circuit, and whether there has been any negative reaction from his peers in the wake of his return.

"So far here most of the players that I've seen - I haven't seen too many players - but most of the players that I've seen have been positive and welcoming. It's nice to see obviously. I can't say that was the case in Australia. It was a little bit strange. But here it's well so far," the 34-year-old Serb said.

Djokovic got back to training 10 days after he returned from Australia, and admits he needed some time to recover mentally from an emotional few weeks that saw him get detained by Australian Border Force in Melbourne and eventually have his visa cancelled twice before being sent back home.

The 20-time major champion said what happened in Australia made him "sad" and "disappointed" but he soon felt motivated to get back on the tennis court.