Vaccinated or unvaccinated? Novak Djokovic mystery deepens as stars arrive ahead of Australian Open
- The world No 1 has not withdrawn from the ATP Cup despite claims he was expected to do so
- Djokovic has refused to confirm if he has been vaccinated against Covid-19
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Novak Djokovic has not withdrawn from the ATP Cup despite claims he was almost sure to do so, Tennis Australia said on Tuesday, as other top players led by Naomi Osaka began arriving ahead of the Australian Open.
An unnamed member of his team told Serbian newspaper Blic they were “99 per cent” sure he would not play in the ATP Cup, which comes ahead of the Australian Open, adding to the intrigue over whether Djokovic would be at the first grand slam of the year.
But Tennis Australia told AFP the Serbian had yet to pull out of the teams event, which is expected to start on Saturday in Sydney, with Djokovic drawn to play Norway’s Casper Ruud on the opening day.
“We haven’t heard of any withdrawals from Team Serbia for the ATP Cup,” a spokesman said.
Tennis Australia has organised charter flights to bring international stars into Melbourne and Sydney, with the first arriving on Tuesday.
Defending women’s Australian Open champion Osaka was among those to touch down. Players can also opt to fly commercial.
Nine-time Australian Open champion Djokovic could win a record 21st grand slam title if he plays at Melbourne Park, but to enter Australia he and members of his entourage have to be vaccinated.
The 34-year-old has previously expressed his opposition to the vaccine and his father Srdjan said in late November that Djokovic would probably not play the Australian Open, accusing the organisers of “blackmail”.
Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal, who was expected to play a warm-up event in Melbourne next week, also contracted the virus. They all played in an Abu Dhabi exhibition tournament this month.
Three female players at the same event also tested positive – Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic, US Open champion Emma Raducanu and Wimbledon quarter-finalist Ons Jabeur.
Tennis Australia has organised the charter flights to help minimise the risk of getting the virus on the trip over, with all passengers having to provide proof of a negative test in the 72 hours before flying.
The Australian Open is scheduled to start on January 17, but Dominic Thiem will not be playing after he was forced to pull out because of a long-standing wrist injury.
The 28-year-old Austrian, who has not played since suffering the injury at the Mallorca Open in June, was unable to defend his US Open title this year.
