Novak Djokovic will not take part in the first tennis tournament of the new season. Instead, the Serb continues to train in his home country. It is still unclear whether he will play the Australian Open.
The world number one Novak Djokovic skips the ATP Cup in Sydney. This was confirmed by a “close source” from Djokovic’s environment for the Serbian newspaper Blic. Accordingly, the 20-time Grand Slam winner is training in Belgrade and “99 percent” will not travel to the team tournament in Australia.
AO? Djokovic wants to announce the decision by the end of the year
This raises doubts about Djokovic’s participation in the Australian Open, the first highlight of the tennis season in 2022. Although the 34-year-old is on the registration list of the major in Melbourne, which starts on January 17th, the record winner continues to keep his vaccination status a secret .
Only fully vaccinated players are allowed to serve at the Australian Open. Special exemptions are only granted for medical reasons. According to Blic, Djokovic will announce his decision to participate by the end of the year.
Most recently, his father Srdjan had spoken of “blackmail” by the organizers on Serbian television and said that Djokovic would “probably not” travel to Australia.
The ATP Cup has been the start of the Australian tennis summer since 2020 and is therefore a preparatory tournament for the Australian Open. In the first edition two years ago, Djokovic led Serbia to the title.
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