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World No. 1 Novak Djokovic made a winning start to his 2022 season in Dubai and afterward was asked whether he was concerned about his media image and if he consulted with PR professionals after the Australia visa debacle.
On Monday, Djokovic handed a 6-3 6-3 loss to Lorenzo Musetti in the Dubai first round. Djokovic was denied a participation at the Australian Open as the Australian authorities refused to let him play while unvaccinated.
"I have many consultantants in terms of PR around the world. I've had people from London, actually a few different places from around the world, just trying to manage this situation as best as possible because obviously even though I have plenty of experience with media, actually mostly sports media,, I do feel comfortable to speak with all of you, but obviously circumstances of this situation in Australia has exceeded and escalated," Djokovic explained.
"It hasn't been only connected to the sport. There was a lot of different areas of life, including politics, that obviously got involved in this whole case. Of course, for me, it was very important to be ready when I speak to media to understand the dynamics, so to say."
Djokovic hopeful things are changing for the better
"In terms of image, I don't really know.
Of course, there was not many posiitive articles about this whole situation in the last month or so. But ever since my intervirew with (the) BBC, I think things are maybe shifting a little bit, I'm hoping. But I understand there's still a lot of speculations and people questioning," Djokovic added.
"I sad what I needed to say, I've been always very open and transparent, try to speak with the media that maybe criticizes me more or not, whatever. I'm there. I'm open to answer any question. Hopefully things will shift in a positive way for me."
Djokovic plays either Karen Khachanov or Alex de Minaur in his next Dubai match. Djokovic is aiming to win his sixth Dubai title this week.Asked by @Mike_Dickson_DM about whether he was concerned about his image and if he consulted with PR professionals in the aftermath of what happened in Aus, Djokovic said he did & that he needed to understand the “different dynamics” of the situation before talking to the press.
pic.twitter.com/XcayUZlyOn — Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) February 21, 2022