Novak Djokovic enjoys meal at popular city restaurant Africola after arriving in Adelaide

In stark contrast to the chaos of his last visit Down Under, anti-vax tennis superstar Novak Djokovic enjoyed a quiet meal at one of Adelaide’s finest restaurants last night.

Tennis star Novak Djokovic was spotted sampling Adelaide’s trendy dining scene on Wednesday night before he takes centre court at the upcoming Adelaide International.

Djokovic dined in style opposite two friends at the contemporary Africola restaurant on East Terrace, leading to double-takes from other diners.

The owner of the South African-style restaurant, Duncan Welgemoed, said Djokovic loved his dinner and was grateful to staff.

“Him and his mates had a great time,” Mr Welgemoed said.

“He came up… and thanked every chef, was incredibly humble and super chuffed with his experience.”

Novak Djokovic dines with his entourage at Africola restaurant in Adelaide's East End.

Djokovic chowed down on a one of the restaurant’s finest fish dishes.

“His dish of the night was our Tuna Nayeh,” Mr Welgemoed said.

And the tennis star has had his sights set on the East Terrace restaurant for a while.

“His team booked it in a while ago but we have to juggle a lot of people per night so we made sure he had a classic Africola experience,” Mr Welgemoed said.

“A lot of very unique, delicious food with super fun and professional service.”

It is understood that when it came time to pay for the meal, Djokovic was spotted splitting the bill three ways.

Duncan Welgemoed outside his restaurant Africola. Picture: Matt Turner

Djokovic hasn’t wasted any time getting himself prepared for next week’s Adelaide International as he hit Memorial Drive for practice less than 24 hours after he arrived in Australia.

The 21-time grand slam champion touched down in Adelaide on Tuesday afternoon, nearly a year after his public exile from Australia.

It’s been a happy return for the former world No. 1 who took to centre court on Wednesday for a practice hit in his first public appearance since arriving.

Djokovic appeared happy as he joked and played a mini game with his practice partners and coach Goran Ivanisevic.

After his short warm-up, Djokovic started ramping up his intensity while he hit groundstrokes from the back of the court.

The mood was in stark contrast to his arrival in Melbourne last January, where he was swept away to an immigration detention facility for five days.

Novak Djokovic seen during a training session at Memorial Drive in Adelaide. NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Novak Djokovic seen during a training session at Memorial Drive in Adelaide. NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Adelaide International tournament director Alistair MacDonald said it was a smooth entry for Djokovic and his team this time around.

“Yeah look, they got through, I’m sure all of them had their passports and they’re in and it’s fantastic.”

“To have probably, arguably, the greatest player of all time here in Adelaide, it’s a real coup for the event,” Mr MacDonald said.

The Adelaide International will serve as Djokovic’s main preparation in his bid to win a 10th Australian Open title and equal Rafael Nadal’s overall grand slam record.

He will contest the opening week of the tournament – which kicks off on January 1 – alongside dual Olympic Gold medallist Andy Murray, young Italian star Jannik Sinner and this year’s Australian Open runner-up Danil Medvedev.

“I think he’s just super pumped to start playing and let the tennis do the talking,” he said.

“I think the fact that he’s here early … I think he wants to win.”

Novak Djokovic seen during a training session at Memorial Drive in Adelaide. NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

The last time Djokovic was set to compete in Adelaide was back in 2021 when he controversially withdrew from his exhibition match with Italian Jannik Sinner in the eleventh hour because of a blister injury on his hand.

It is understood, there was a scramble to convince the former world number one to agree to play at Memorial Drive and in bizarre scenes Djokovic emerged on centre court for the second set, to huge roars.

“He actually ended up playing, but after hitting for two weeks, he was struggling a little bit,”

Novak Djokovic seen during a training session at Memorial Drive in Adelaide. NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Hometown hero and reigning Adelaide International champion Thanasi Kokkinakis is also set to contest the first week after receiving a wildcard on Wednesday.

He had already been accepted to the second week, which he won last year.

On the women’s side, four of the world’s top 10 will contest the tournament in the New Year.

“When you add all the players up, we’ve got a fantastic couple of weeks of tennis here,” he said.

In the second instalment of the event, which starts on January 10, all eyes will be on whether Nick Kyrgios takes the court.

He is nominated for the event, but there are now question marks over his fitness after he withdrew from the Australian team at the United Cup on Wednesday.

The Adelaide International 2 will be his last chance to play any official matches before the Australian Open kicks off on January 16.