ATP Cup: Tennis Australia denies Djokovic cancellation
Tennis Australia told The Age that Novak Djokovic's cancellation for the ATP Cup had not yet been officially introduced. In addition, the Serb has neither confirmed nor denied that he will start at the Australian Open.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Dec 28, 2021, 11:16 am
Novak Djokovic and a line-up in Australia: It remains a mystery. A few days ago, a Serbian medium, citing a source in Novak Djokovic's environment, reported that the world number one would not start at the ATP Cup , Tennis Australia has now told The Age that the 34-year-old has not yet been rejected for the team event had been received.
"No cancellations from Team Serbia," said a spokesman for the Australian Tennis Association. Of course, this formality doesn't have to mean much, as the ATP Cup starts on January 1st. Djokovic has still refrained from publishing a clear statement about his ambitions down under. The compulsory vaccination, which is striking for starters in Australia, is a thorn in the side of the world number one, the 34-year-old had emphasized several times that he did not want to make his vaccination status public. In the past, the Serb was considered critical of vaccinations.
ATP Cup "only" secondary
While Djokovic's cancellation for the ATP Cup would not be completely surprising, the great interest is clearly in the Australian Open. The world number one could there, in a tournament that Djokovic was able to win nine times, dare to make another attempt in terms of Grand Slam title for the first time before Nadal and Federer (20 each). At the US Open, the 34-year-old narrowly failed in the final.
In addition, after Roger Federer's cancellation, Rafael Nadal's appearance after the Mallorcan has been infected with corona shakes vigorously. The 20-time major winner was infected with COVID-19 on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi exhibition event, and coach Carlos Moya also tested positive. And Novak Djokovic's participation in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year remains uncertain. Especially since with the statement from Tennis Australia the topic of the ATP Cup was also re-rolled out.