Novak Djokovic 'even more motivated' to succeed in Dubai and put visa saga to rest

Novak Djokovic said he has quickly moved past the "sad" visa controversy and the whole saga in Australia has made him "even more motivated" to make a belatedly fast start to the year at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Djokovic, 34, opens his 2022 season against Italian wild card Lorenzo Musetti in Dubai on Monday evening, five weeks after he was deported from Australia under the government's Migrations Act due to his unvaccinated status against Covid-19. Djokovic's deportation brought to an end a 10-day row that saw the world No 1 have his visa cancelled on arrival, spend nights in an immigration detention centre, and have his visa reissued, then revoked again.

The saga also caused an international diplomatic row between the governments of Australia and Serbia, as well as plenty of social unrest, with protests both in support of and in opposition to the 20-time Grand Slam champion's presence in Melbourne.

Djokovic revealed that the episode did take its toll but after a period of rest, he is eager to get back to doing what he does best: winning tennis matches.

"It wasn't an everyday situation for me, what happened in Australia, so of course, it was different. I was sad the way it has all played out and the way I left the country," Djokovic said. "But once I refreshed mentally, emotionally, physically, and it didn't take me too long, and once that I knew I was allowed to come here and play, it wasn't that hard for me to get on the court, speak to my team, create a plan to peak at the right time here in Dubai.

"Considering what I've been through in the last couple months, I'm even more motivated to go out on the court and play my best tennis. Of course, it's not a guarantee, but I did my best to put myself in a