Serbs dominate in Melbourne: Novak could only dream of such reception at the start of the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic has started the battle for his 10th Australian Open trophy, and his first obstacle is the Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena.

Novak arrived at the venue with a bandage around his leg, which is a cause for concern for his fans, because he has been suffering from hamstring injury since the end of the tournament in Adelaide. This made him miss several training sessions before the start of the Australian Open.

This was Novak's return to Rod Laver Arena, where he is playing his first match after two years. The last one was the final in 2021 when he defeated Daniil Medvedev and won his 9th Australian Open title.

Djokovic was not allowed to compete last year, and went through a lot in Australia because of his decision not to get the Covid vaccine.

That's why there was a question mark over how Novak would be welcomed in Melbourne, but as soon as he appeared on the court, the enthusiasm of the fans was visible.

There were hundreds of Serbian flags in the stands, as well as flags with the image of Novak Djokovic and the word "GOAT" written on them.

Listen to the noise 🙌The 9x champion is back!@DjokerNole • #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/4zVMHeK3sk— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 17, 2023

Take a look at what that looked like in our gallery:

(Telegraf.rs)