Novak Djokovic - cancellation of the ATP Cup raises further doubts
After his cancellation for the ATP Cup, doubts aremounting as to whether Novak Djokovic will take part in the Australian Open.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Dec 29, 2021, 06:19 pm
After much back and forth, it was finally officially announced on Wednesday that Novak Djokovic will not take part in the ATP Cup in Sydney. What this means in concrete terms for the Australian Open, which starts on January 17th, has not yet been determined, but doubts are increasing about the participation of the world number one.
As reported by the Serbian media, Djokovic was denied a medical exemption for the Australian Open. An official confirmation is pending. The day before, the news portal "b92.net" had said that things would develop "in the direction of participation" in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.
In view of the corona pandemic, only fully vaccinated players are allowed to serve at the Australian Open, special exemptions are only granted for medical reasons. So far, Djokovic has left his vaccination status open and the associated start in Melbourne.
Djokovic reportedly plans to announce his decision before the end of the year. The 20-time Grand Slam winner would start as defending champion at the Australian Open and could take the sole lead in the all-time leaderboard in Melbourne with another major triumph.