Novak Djokovic is likely to face hostility both on and off court if he is allowed to play at the Australian Open but a former member of the Serbian's team thinks the world number one is well-equipped to deal with it.
While Australia's immigration minister continues to consider whether to cancel Djokovic's visa on Wednesday, the 20-times Grand Slam champion has been pressing ahead with his preparations for his title defence.Djokovic's announcement last week that he had a medical exemption to play despite being unvaccinated was met with uproar in Australia, which is battling an Omicron wave of infections and where more than 90% of the adult population is double vaccinated.
World number 140 Joao Sousa, who is trying to qualify for the main draw this week, said it was difficult for other players to accept that Djokovic could play without being vaccinated. "There is no person on the planet who has been subjected to being booed on the tennis court more than him," the Australian, who now works with compatriot Alex Popyrin, added.
"He needs to take a couple of days to build back his consistency, shot tolerance, timing and movement," he said.