Tennis-Djokovic will return stronger, say fellow Serbian players

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 17, 2022 Serbia's Laslo Djere in action during his first round match against Canada's Denis Shapovalov REUTERS/Morgan Sette

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic has the mental steel to overcome his Australian Open debacle and come back even stronger, his fellow Serbian players said on Monday as the year's opening major kicked off without the men's world number one and defending champion.

Djokovic, a record nine-times winner at Melbourne Park including the last three titles, left Australia on Sunday for Belgrade after losing a Federal Court appeal against the cancellation of his visa to enter the country.