Djokovic declares quarantine "worth it" following exo appearance

Novak Djokovic has declared his two-week quarantine in Adelaide "worth it," as the sight of a 4,000-person crowd prompted his appearance at the Adelaide Drive exhibition.

The world No. 1 had originally withdrawn from the event with a blister on his hand, which was visible on television, but stepped in to play a set when his substitute, Filip Krajinovic, was on court against Jannik Sinner. The Serbian pair combined to defeat the Italian teenager in straight sets.

"I had to do some treatment with my physio, I wasn’t feeling my best the past couple of days," Djokovic told the crowd. "Having an ATP Cup and Australian Open around the corner, you don’t want to risk it too much. But... seeing these full stands I had to play."

Getty Images

All players competing at the Australian Open have had to follow Australia's strict entry requirements, including a two-week quarantine, but there are relatively few restrictions in the country because it has few to none coronavirus cases. Some top players have quarantined in Adelaide while most of the field has been in Melbourne, where warm-up events will begin this week.

Djokovic was happy to have the full stands after months of events with limited or no fans following the quarantine, saying, "It was worth it because you guys made it very special for us.

"We didn’t play in front of this big a crowd in 12 months, so this is very special."

Rafael Nadal defeated Dominic Thiem in the other men's exhibition meeting.