Novak Djokovic's departure makes way for tennis as Australian Open begins

In the wake of Novak Djokovic’s departure from Melbourne on a wave of controversy and drama, the city is hoping the world’s attention will refocus on what he actually came for: the first grand slam of 2022.

The uproar surrounding the tennis star was a major distraction from the build up to the Australian Open that began Monday, including the potential comeback of Andy Murray or the chance world womens’ no. 1 Ash Barty will be the first local to win her home tournament in 44 years.

For host city Melbourne, the event should be a welcome boost to morale and businesses as Covid restrictions continue and cases keep rising. “As the players have said themselves, they want the focus to be on the tennis and the tournament,” Victoria state deputy premier James Merlino told reporters on Monday.

“This is the biggest global sporting event for the month of January, and we’re going to celebrate it for the next two weeks and hopefully see Ash Barty hold up a trophy.”

The tournament is one of Australia’s key overseas tourism draw cards. It raked in A$388 million ($280 million) in 2020 just before the onset of coronavirus, according to the government of Victoria, which accounts for a quarter of the nation’s economy. This year’s event is still hampered by the virus, with state officials announcing last week that crowd capacity will be capped at 50% for unsold tickets and making face masks mandatory for spectators.

Since the pandemic began, Melbourne has been subject to six separate stay-home mandates over 18 months, as authorities adhered to a strict Covid Zero policy they have now abandoned in favor of living with the virus as endemic.

Djokovic Loses Shot at Tennis History as Australia Deports StarThe challenges show that it’s still difficult to stage big-money events with the virus still raging.

A cricket match in the Australia and England Ashes contest was recently shifted to Hobart from Perth because of Covid restrictions, while some crews in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race were forced to withdraw after being infected. And after the tennis wraps up in two weeks, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival will be held and then the Australian Grand Prix takes place for the first time in two years.

“Melbourne is the canary in the coal mine on these kinds of events,” said Martine Letts, chief executive of the Committee for Melbourne. “You can be absolutely sure that the organizers of the Grand Prix and other major international events that we’re hosting in the next few months have taken very careful notice.

”Fires, LockdownsDjokovic’s deportation on Sunday was by no means the first case of controversy to greet the Open.The 2020 event become a casualty of global warming. Smoke from wildfires in south eastern Australia that razed an area the size of England forced practice and qualification to be suspended over concern for player health days before the tournament began.

Last year’s tournament was held despite significant opposition from locals that had just endured months in lockdown as organizers feared a cancellation would cause the loss of its Grand Slam status.

Some players -- including Djokovic -- complained about entering quarantine for two weeks on arrival, and crowds were sent home during a match as Melbourne was plunged into another lockdown.

Australia Braces to Relive ‘Hotter Than Hell’ Wildfire Nightmare Tennis Australia and Victoria state this year granted the unvaccinated Djokovic a medical exemption to enter the tournament, but his visa was cancelled by Federal officials on his arrival in the country, sparking a spectacle that captured the world’s attention for more than a week. “

The Australian Open is much more important than any player,” world no. six Rafael Nadal, who is also playing in Melbourne, told reporters Saturday. “Novak Djokovic is one of the best players of the history, without a doubt, but there is no one player in history that’s more important than an event.”