MELBOURNE
On Monday it was not clear yet if the world number one, Novak Djokovic, will participate in the ATP Cup. or at the Australian Open, as the players began to arrive in Sydney to participate in the team tournament that opens the men’s tennis season.
There has been intense speculation about Djokovic’s participation in the Australian Open, which begins on January 17, as the 34-year-old tennis player, who opposes vaccinations, has repeatedly refused to clarify whether he has received the COVID injection. -19. The vaccination rate among the top 100 players in the tennis ranking is 95%, according to data from the ATP Tour.
The organizers of the Grand Slam confirmed that all players and participants in Melbourne Park must be vaccinated or have a medical exemption granted by an independent panel of experts, so Djokovic’s situation continues to raise questions.
If the Serbian does not show up, world number two Daniil Medvedev will be at the top of the ATP Cup draw. Medvedev has already arrived in Sydney to help Russia defend their title.
Djokovic has won a record nine Australian Open titles, including the last three editions, and the chances of him playing in Oceania improved when he was named to the Serbian team for the ATP Cup.
However, a report on Saturday in the Serbian daily Blic said that Djokovic will not travel to Sydney for the tournament, raising questions about whether he will play at Melbourne Park from January 17.
His father, Srdjan, told a Serbian television channel last month that Djokovic will likely withdraw from the tournament, stating that Tennis Australia’s stance on mandatory vaccination amounts to “blackmail”.
The possible absence of Djokovic, however, will not affect Serbia’s participation in the tournament, that distributes 10 million dollars in prizes and defined the teams on December 7, according to the registration of players.
Due to Djokovic’s current classification, the Serbian team was considered the best among the 16 in the ATP Cup, which will be played from January 1 to 9, and was in Group A along with Norway, Chile and Spain when held the giveaway at the beginning of the month.
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