Intriguing hint about Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open participation revealed
The ATP Cup teams have been announced and Novak Djokovic has been named in Serbia’s squad, despite not declaring whether he has received a Covid-19 vaccine or not.
Over the past few months, there has been a considerable amount of doubt surrounding whether World number one Novak Djokovic would compete at the Australian Open. Such uncertainty comes after Djokovic has refused to declare his Covid-19 vaccination status.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion had previously said he was awaiting an official decision on vaccines by Tennis Australia themselves before announcing his final decision. However, now the decision has been officially made, Djokovic again remained coy on his participation.
Despite much confusion and contradiction between Australian politicians, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley recently announced that players would be required to be double vaccinated in order to play at the ‘Happy Slam.’
This vaccination mandate led to Djokovic’s father Srdjan labelling the Australian Open’s rules as “blackmail” and said his son “probably won’t compete.” However, Victorian sports minister Martin Pakula replied “it’s not blackmail, it’s about your responsibility to the community that welcomes you.”
The teams and groups for the ATP Cup have now been announced and Djokovic has been entered to compete for Serbia’s national team, alongside Dusan Lajovic, Filip Krajinovic, Nikola Cacic and Matej Sabanov.
The ATP Cup is being held in Sydney and according to the Australian Government’s Department of Health’s website, in order to enter into Australia one must provide evidence that they have been vaccinated at least seven days prior to international travel.
The ATP Cup is also regarded by many as a precursor to the Australian Open where players regain match fitness after the close-season.
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