‘Australia and the aftermath left me stressed out’ – Relieved Djokovic explains why he cried after the final

New Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic was clearly emotional after lifting the trophy for the seventh time – and he tried to explain why this one meant more than the others.

“I have had a lot of moments like these in my career and I am grateful for that, but somehow this trophy after everything I went through in Australia…” he explained to Serbian media Sport Klub. “All the bad things that happened went through my mind and when I sat on the chair, I just felt huge relief, because emotionally I have been constantly stressed out, like never before in my life – not solely because of what happened in Australia, but because of what followed me afterwards in relation with that, lots of negative comments and provocations from various people. That is something I have never faced before, so I did not know how to handle it.

“I always strive to do things which make me calm and mentally balanced, but I am a human being after all – there were some very ugly insults, provocations, media constantly reminding me about what happened, and it got to me… But I am happy to say that I do not carry that emotional burden for some time now, even more so with this victory.

“I feel relieved.”

Djokovic was deported from Australia in January 2022 and was not able to play the first Grand Slam of the year.

As things stand, he will also not be able to play the US Open or any other tournament in the USA, as the country is not permitting entry to unvaccinated non-citizens.

The Serb has come in for a great deal of criticism for his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19 as well as the revelation that he had tested positive for the illness before conducting a media interview in December 2021.

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