"Novak Djokovic laughed that I had a room with a small balcony, he didn't"- Federico Coria on Serb's Australian Open accommodation amid COVID-19 drama

Federico Coria recently recalled how his hotel accommodation was strikingly different from Novak Djokovic's during the 2022 Australian Open.

Djokovic had quite a disastrous trip to Melbourne two years ago, at a time when the entire world was still reeling from the COVID-19 outbreak. Unvaccinated against the disease citing personal reasons, the Serb landed Down Under with a medical exemption.

However, the World No. 1 was detained at the airport by the Australian Border Force (ABF). The Serb's visa was also canceled, in turn putting his Australian Open title defense in jeopardy. He was subsequently detained in a hotel with a group of refugees for five days as his lawyers scrambled for a solution.

The federal court of Australia, on their part, reinstated Novak Djokovic's visa due to ABF's procedural errors during their detaining of the legend. This allowed the then-34-year-old to practice on-court at Melbourne Park for a day. Unfortunately, the court's decision was challenged a few days later, and after much back and forth, Djokovic was finally deported from the country.

Speaking to 'CLAY', Federico Coria was asked to give his account of the drama surrounding the 22-time Major winner, as the Argentine traded hits with him before his eventual deportation.

The 32-year-old began by narrating how his coach had arranged the practice session with the Serb, before reminiscing about how both players had a laugh about each other's accommodations ahead of the Happy Slam.

"It seems to me that at the time Gringo (Andrés Schneiter), my coach, sent him a message telling him that we were here to train with him. Training is organized this way," Federico Coria said. "Obviously they, those who are very top, have already organized it a long time before, but well, in this situation it was all very day to day. I didn't doubt it for a second."

"Nole laughed that I had a room with a small balcony and he didn't," he added. "His windows were sealed, so he had to have the air conditioning on."

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Novak Djokovic could've been banned from entering Australia for three years

The Serb poses with the 2023 Australian Open trophy

For those unaware, Novak Djokovic was also automatically served with a three-year ban after his visa was revoked by then-Minister of Immigration Alex Hawke, who was part of former Prime Minister Scott Morrison's administration.

However, Morrison's party would suffer defeat at the hands of the Labor Party in the Australian federal elections in May 2022. This, in turn, led to Anthony Albanese being sworn in as the new Prime Minister, under whom the new Immigration Minister, Andrew Giles, overturned the Serb's three-year ban.

Djokovic would subsequently return to Melbourne the following year. He was quite the man on a mission during his campaign Down Under; despite carrying a hamstring strain in his left leg, he only dropped a set en route to his 10th Australian Open title.