Novak Djokovic called Australia his “happy place” on Saturday as he prepared to kick off his season at the United Cup with a tricky clash against China’s fast-improving Zhang Zhizhen.
The world number one holds no grudges heading into the mixed team event nearly two years after being refused entry to the country over his stance on Covid-19 vaccinations.
“Always felt like… (Australia) was my happy place where I felt great, other than that situation two years ago where obviously it wasn’t really enjoyable,” he said.
“But other than that, I have always enjoyed myself, played the best tennis, and so my feelings coming into Australia this year are really positive.”
The 36-year-old said he is looking forward to facing the 58th-ranked Zhang in Sunday’s group tie in Perth.
Djokovic is targeting a record 11th Australian Open title next month, but his focus for now is on Zhang, vowing to give “always 100 percent”.
China laid down a marker on Saturday with a defeat of the Czech Republic, which featured Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.
“I never faced Zhang,” he said. “I think he now is probably the most successful Chinese male player of all time.
“That’s great, as well, because we want to see the men’s tennis in China picking up. They are a strong team, very strong team.”
But the 24-time Grand Slam winner warned: “Hopefully I can start the new season with a win.”
The Serbs, trained by former player and Djokovic friend Viktor Troicki, have been in the city for several days trying to acclimatise.
“Australia is not really around the corner for us Europeans, so we need a little bit of time to get used to the time difference,” said Djokovic.
“Obviously different conditions here than any other place where I trained or played an exhibition recently.
“China had a clean sweep today,” he added. “There’s a big Chinese community here and also Serbian community, so hopefully we can feel the energy in the stands and support for both nations.”

‘Reborn’ Raducanu aiming to reignite career on injury return

Britain’s Emma Raducanu said she feels “reborn” as the former U.S. Open champion prepares to return to action at next week’s Auckland Classic following ankle and wrist surgeries. 
The 21-year-old missed much of 2023 after operations on both wrists and an ankle but will return to Auckland with a protected ranking a year after she exited the tournament in tears having rolled her ankle during a second round match. 
“Yeah, I feel reborn in a way. I feel fresh, I feel ready, I feel happy and I feel excited,” Raducanu told reporters on Saturday. 
Raducanu is now ranked 298th in the world, having slipped from a career high number 10 in July 2022. She missed out on a wildcard for the Australian Open which begins on Jan. 14 and will have to take a similar path as her 2021 Flushing Meadows run, when she became the first player in the Open Era to win a major after coming through qualifying. 
She said she no longer felt weighed down by the expectations that followed her New York triumph. “Overall, I’m feeling positive and lighter. I think that for two years after the U.S. Open I felt maybe a bit more weight on my shoulders, but now I feel completely fresh,” Raducanu said. Raducanu has not crossed the second round of a Grand Slam since her Flushing Meadows triumph and has come in for her fair share of criticism but said she was happy to be fit and ready to compete again. “It’s nice not to have three casts on you,” she added. “So just moving around and showering, (doing) everything you really appreciate, being able to do your own hair, stuff like that. “I’m just happy to be back playing.” The Auckland Classic will begin on Monday.