Nervous Djokovic wondered what Australia would hold for him. The answer was Adelaide

When Novak Djokovic first touched down in Australia on December 27 he was nervous.

Twelve months earlier he’d been deported – something the majority of Australians agreed with at the time, but one of the most dramatic, controversial and difficult experiences of his life in the spotlight. Now he was back, after the minister granted him a visa, to play in the Adelaide International.

Novak Djokovic felt the love at the Adelaide International. Credit:AP

The day after touching down, senior tennis sources say Djokovic, sitting in the player services area, was pensive, even vulnerable. With one of his agents, Elena Cappellaro, tournament director Alistair MacDonald and communications and events specialist Michele D’Aloia the 21-time grand slam champion spoke candidly about being trapped the previous year in a Melbourne detention centre then sent out of the country.

A year on his game was good, his confidence high. But he had no idea what to expect from the Australian crowds or the media. Was he walking into a lion’s den?

The following day, Djokovic fronted them. On a scorching Adelaide day, he handed out water bottles to reporters. “You can’t forget those events,” he said, but “those circumstances will not replace what I have lived in Melbourne and Australia throughout my career”.

On Monday, Djokovic arrived in Melbourne, landing at Essendon airport ahead of his tilt at a 10th Australian Open title and signing autographs for fans. Gone was the pensiveness and the nerves: his time in Adelaide had brought about a “transformation” in how Djokovic carried himself, according to tournament director MacDonald. So positive had been his experiences there, that a weight, it seemed, had been lifted.

When in Adelaide, Djokovic and his team, including brother Marko, coach Goran Ivanisevic, hitting partner Carlos Gomez-Herrera and his agents stayed at Sequoia Lodge on Mount Lofty, in the picturesque Adelaide Hills, almost half an hour from Memorial Drive.

The surroundings reminded him of home.

Novak Djokovic celebrates New Year’s Eve at Africola restaurant in Adelaide.Credit:Instagram

Initially Adelaide tournament staff organised security, but sources say that, after a couple of days, Djokovic felt comfortable enough without it, at his accommodation at least.

Emboldened by the positivity enveloping him, Djokovic felt freer to move around. On New Year’s Eve, the 35-year-old was keen to dine at popular Adelaide eatery Africola. He’d been there a few days earlier and loved it.

“We were massively booked out,” says Africola’s South African owner, Duncan Welgemoed, “and I cheekily tried to get a table for myself and got told, ‘No’.

“Then I got a call saying Novak wanted a table for New Year’s Eve – so they made it happen for Novak but not me, the person who owns the restaurant.”

Djokovic’s table was in the middle of the restaurant floor. The nine-time Australian Open champion, who arguably tops Katy Perry as the biggest celebrity to ever eat there, danced, mixed with staff and asked for a second helping of falafel.

After winning a three-hour singles final on Sunday night over Seb Korda, he gave Africola a shout-out: “The staff are super nice; the food is amazing. Just great hype … My brother and friends, they loved the chicken. They said it was one of the best chickens they ever had.”

Come midnight, Djokovic wasn’t ready for his night, or his year, to be over. He wanted to bring in the new year with the fireworks across the road at crowded Rymill Park – to his security detail’s relief, they couldn’t find a way in.

Two days later Djokovic walked out for his first match of the tournament – a rare doubles appearance with close friend Vasek Pospisil – and an army of Serbian fans greeted him with chants.

There were lengthy queues to get in, while diehard fans arrived hours early to make sure they had a seat and others peeped under the fence. Djokovic and Pospisil lost, but the crowd didn’t care. They rushed to the edge of the court seeking an autograph or a selfie. Match after match it was the same.

After one media conference a Serbian interviewer handed Djokovic a badnjak – a tree branch that is effectively a Christmas tree. On January 6 Djokovic – with his gift in hand – his brother and Gomez-Herrera attended St Sava Serbian Orthodox Church at midnight.

“I think it’s nice because it pays respect, first of all, to our religion, to our nation, to our people. But, at the same time, [it was] also an opportunity to be close to the Serbian community that has been giving me a lot of energy and love this week … after the events that happened 12 months ago,” Djokovic said.

Djokovic also quietly donated 100 packs of Lacoste merchandise to the local Serbian community and had a chat and a private hit with 14-year-old Jameson Pink, a Make a Wish Foundation recipient.

And he watched one of the Adelaide Strikers’ Big Bash League matches. He turned down the private suite on offer, choosing instead to be among the fans and atmosphere, asking questions about the sport – experiences he later described as “interesting”.

On the weekend, Djokovic claimed his second Adelaide International title – 16 years after his first. Again he wanted to show his gratitude: he threw his shoes, sweat bands, racquets and even his shirt into the stands.