Aussie icon's incredible story of Novak rejection

1 year ago 88

Australian tennis large Mark Woodforde has recalled an unthinkable speech with a young Novak Djokovic wherever the Serbian was rejected a spot astatine the Adelaide International.

The incidental occurred successful the years anterior to Djokovic winning the contention successful 2007 erstwhile helium requested a wildcard introduction into the tourney but was denied by Woodforde, who was past the co-tournament manager alongside Peter Johnston.

Woodforde, a 16-time expansive slam doubles champion, recalled however Djokovic walked into his bureau alongside his trainer, Dejan Petrovic.

LIVE COVERAGE: Updates from the United Cup and Adelaide International

"I was moving the lawsuit with Peter Johnston and we were sitting successful the bureau the time earlier qualifying began and successful came Dejan with Novak Djokovic," helium said connected Nine's sum of the Adelaide International.

"He introduced himself to some Peter Johnston and myself and said, 'I'm blessed to beryllium present successful Adelaide and I was hoping that you mightiness springiness maine a wildcard'.

"Peter and I conscionable looked astatine each other, we'd already fixed retired our wildcards successful the main draw. Novak said, 'Because I'm going to go No.1 successful the satellite 1 time and I deliberation this would assistance springiness maine a start', and we conscionable smiled and said, 'Unfortunately, we don't person space'.

"Dejan, who I've known for a fig of years conscionable said, 'He truly does judge he's going to beryllium No.1' and we conscionable had to apologise and accidental we had to reserve immoderate of the wildcards astatine the clip for the Australians.

"I said, 'We'll effort to get you into the qualifying astatine least', and helium said, 'But I privation to beryllium successful the main gully due to the fact that I'm going to beryllium No.1 successful the world'.

"Unfortunately, we couldn't adjacent get him into qualifying that year, but that's the content that Novak Djokovic had astatine a precise aboriginal age, that helium was going to execute large things."

The rejection did not halt Djokovic from returning to Adelaide, wherever helium defeated Australia's Chris Guccione to assertion the 3rd of his 130 vocation titles successful January 2007.

Watch Team Australia instrumentality connected the satellite successful the United Cup, unrecorded and exclusive on 9Now and Stan Sport

Djokovic is backmost successful Adelaide this year, returning to Australia 12 months aft helium was infamously deported connected the eve of the 2022 Australian Open owed to his vaccination status.

The 21-time expansive slam champion volition footwear disconnected his Adelaide International run connected Tuesday day erstwhile helium takes connected France's Constant Lestienne arsenic the tournament's No.1 men's seed.

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!