The World No. 1 has been embroiled in controversy ever since landing in Melbourne with a medical exemption. The Serb was detained in Melbourne airport as the Australian Border Force officials deemed his exemption to be invalid. The Serb had his visa reinstated by the court, before Australia’s Immigration Minister stepped in and canceled it for a second time.
Speaking about the saga, de Minaur said he was not surprised by the backlash Djokovic faced, given the strict restrictions Australian citizens have been living with since the onset of the pandemic. But at the same time, he stressed that vaccination was Djokovic’s personal choice.
De Minaur added that all the events surrounding Djokovic have taken the spotlight away from those competing at the Australian Open and that he was ready to shift his focus towards the tournament.
De Minaur’s best showing at the Australian Open was a run to the third round in 2019 and 2021. The 22-year-old said his aim is to as deep as possible this year.
“I think him winning 20 Slams doesn’t make him act one way or the other off the court” - Alex de Minaur on Novak Djokovic
During the press conference, de Minaur was also asked whether a player needed to be “single-minded” to be as successful as Novak Djokovic on the court. The Australian replied in the negative, saing a player could showcase completely contrasting personalities on and off the court.
Djokovic is currently in detention, with a final verdict on his visa set to be made on Sunday. If the Serb misses the Australian Open, there is a chance he could lose his No. 1 ranking to either Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev.
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