"It's gonna be bad for some people out there” - Tennis fans react to Novak Djokovic hitting back at colleagues who mistreated him in 2022

Tennis fans have reacted to Novak Djokovic’s recent hit-back at colleagues who mistreated him throughout 2022.

In an interview with Sportal, former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic elaborated on his unusual 2022 season, which saw him deported from Australia and banned from contesting the North American swing. He stated that he always strives to find the positives in trying circumstances.

“I would describe 2022 as very interesting and unusual. But I always try, that's my character and mentality, to draw out positive things, to look at it on the brighter side of life and I believe that,” he said.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion, however, did not hold back in voicing his displeasure at the mistreatment and lack of support from colleagues and people involved.

“I know that everything that happened to me this year, especially with Australia and everything that came after that, as well as the way people treated me, which I did not like and which I had never experienced before, however, it brought me some important lessons in life and realizations about myself and the way I want to live and what kind of world I live in, especially that tennis ecosystem. Many masks fell, so to speak, in that process, and it is very interesting for me to observe how someone treated me during this year,” he noted.

Novak Djokovic’s comments about his peers caught the attention of tennis fans on Twitter and they were quick to infer what it meant.

"Translation: I was deeply saddened and to be honest, angered by the betrayal of so many players and media people I thought were my allies, peers and friends. But their backstabbing made me stronger," one person inferred.

Many other fans were thrilled that the Serb was able to speak out and were excited for the 2023 season, calling it the "revenge era."

"'Many masks have fallen.' Guess he's finally starting to see people as they are," another fan said.

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

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"I have never offended anyone or ever tried to be disrespectful in any way" - Novak Djokovic defends himself after being ostracized by tennis community

Novak Djokovic was banned from the 2022 Australian Open and the US Open

In the same interview with Sportal, Novak Djokovic spoke about people who objected to his participation due to his unvaccinated status. He admitted that everyone was entitled to their opinion, but also suggested that, despite being respectful towards others, he was subjected to unwarranted scrutiny.

"There are also those people who think that maybe I shouldn't go there for some reason. I respect that everyone has a different way of thinking in relation to my situation. After all, I have never offended anyone or ever tried to be disrespectful in any way. I always tried to show that it is important for everyone to have the right and freedom of choice," he said.

Novak Djokovic also touched upon the repercussions of his decision and seemingly pointed out that although he accepted the ban in North America, the deportation in Australia was unjustified, but was hopeful for 2023.

"For the choices I made, I knew there would be certain consequences such as not going to America. And that is that. It was a different case for Australia, because I had a permit, but in the end what happened happened. We know the epilogue. This time I'm waiting for that permission again. It is a good thing that they have now opened the borders for the unvaccinated to Australia. I hope the people in the Australian Government will give a positive response, that's all.