Novak Djokovic putting thoughts about last year behind and winning the Australian Open 2023 was impressive, says tennis journalist

Novak Djokovic's impressive run to the title at the 2023 Australian Open, despite being affected by adverse thoughts from last year, was nothing more than impressive, according to leading tennis journalist Tumaini Carayol.

Djokovic was deported from Australia last year owing to COVID-19 restrictions as he had refused to get vaccinated for the disease. As a result, widespread protests from Serbian supporters erupted in the streets of Melbourne and things turned out to be unpleasant.

In light of such incidents, the World No. 1 was nervous and skeptical about how the people Down Under would receive him on his return to the nation. But as soon as he commenced his campaign at Melbourne Park, he seemed completely focused on his matches and abandoned any unnecessary thoughts.

In a conversation during the No Challenges Remaining podcast, Carayol expressed how impressed he was with Djokovic, who put all of his thoughts about last year to the back of his mind.

"I was just impressed by how... whether you wanna debate about how much it was his fault... just look the way he put all of that thoughts about last year to the back of his mind and focus on the moment, on the matches," stated the journalist.

He felt that the 10-time Australian Open champion had to undergo a lot of other difficulties as well prior to the Major and that he did a great job of dealing with everything that came his way.

"I don't know, he was just focused on what he needed and that served him well for his performances. There were so many more things that came about this year, particularly the injury in Adelaide semi-final against [Daniil] Medvedev. He hurt his left hamstring. Even in that match, we saw Medvedev kind of mocking him... not fully believing he completely injured given how well he was still playing," he asserted.

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Novak Djokovic feels Australian Open 2023 win is "the biggest victory" of his life "considering the circumstances"

Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Australian Open Men's Champion Photocall

Novak Djokovic believes that his title triumph at the 2023 Australian Open was the "biggest victory" of his career, considering the difficult circumstances under which he played the tournament.

During his victory speech after lifting the trophy, the World No. 1 admitted that the Grand Slam Down Under this season turned out to be "one of the most challenging" tournaments of his life.

"This has been one of the most challenging tournaments in my life, considering what happened last year. There is a reason why I’ve played my best tennis in Australia. I try to pinch myself and live through these moments. This is probably the biggest victory of my life, considering the circumstances," he said.