Novak Djokovic pulled out of his first match after Australian Open quarantine, then showed up half an hour late and played anyway
- Novak Djokovic pulled out of an Adelaide exhibition match on Friday only to show up half an hour in and play the second set.
- The Serbian had been replaced by compatriot Filip Krajinovic for his match against Jannik Sinner due to a blistered hand.
- "The emotion in me was so strong to come out to the court today," Djokovic said after. "Seeing the full stands – I had to play."
Novak Djokovic pulled out of an Adelaide exhibition match because of a blistered hand on Friday only to show up and play the second set, helping his compatriot Filip Krajinovic beat Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic finished his mandatory 14-day quarantine on Friday and was set to face Sinner at "A Day at The Drive" - a pre-Australian Open exhibition tournament.
The Serbian was removed from playing schedule less than an hour before play however due to him not wanting to further inflame blisters on his right hand, according to ESPN.
He was replaced by Krajinovic, who won the first set against Sinner 6-3. But to the surprise of the crowd at at Memorial Drive, Djokovic then appeared on the court to take over from Krajinovic and play the second set, which he won 6-3.
"I am sorry that I didn't step in on the court from the beginning," the world No.1 said after the match. "I had to do some treatment with my physio and wasn't feeling my best the last couple of days.
"I wanted to play, it's not easy. But it's part of what we do. We are professional athletes, we learn over the years to play with the pain. It's just a case whether that pain is bearable or not.
"Coming off from the hard training block and having ATP Cup and the Australian Open around the corner, you don't want to risk it too much. But the emotion in me was so strong to come out to the court today. Seeing the full stands - I had to play."
Elsewhere in the exhibition, Rafael Nadal beat Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-4 and Serena Williams beat Naomi Osaka after a super tie breaker at the end of two sets. Williams was victorious 6-2, 2-6, (10-7).
After her win over Osaka, Williams revealed her delight to finally be playing in front of fans again.
"We haven't played in front of a crowd in over a year so it's been a really long time," she said. "We were so happy just to be here. Now it's worth it."
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