World No. 1 Novak Djokovic “probably won’t play” the Australian Open in January “under these blackmails and conditions” related to COVID-19 vaccination requirements, his father said Saturday.
The 34-year-old Djokovic, who would be bidding for a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title in Melbourne, has refused to say whether or not he has been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
But Australian Open tournament chief Craig Tiley has said that all players must be inoculated to take part. It’s possible the French Open and Wimbledon could follow suit with vaccine mandates going forward.
“Of course he would want to go with all his heart,” Djokovic's father Srdjan told Serbian channel Prda TV.
“Because he is a sportsman and there are a lot of our people, the (Serbian) diaspora, there who would be delighted to see Novak. But I really don't know if that will happen. Probably not under these conditions, with this blackmail and when it's done that way.”
The Australian Open is set to run Jan. 17-30 and at this point, no one knows if the world’s No. 1 player will be competing for a record 21st Grand Slam title during the fortnight.
“We'll see,” Djokovic said recently after losing to eventual champion Sascha Zverev in the semifinals of the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy. “We'll have to wait and see.”
If Djokovic doesn’t play, it opens up the door for players like Zverev, who became the fourth man ever to beat the world’s No. 1 and 2 players en route to the ATP Finals title when he beat world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, 6-4, 6-4, in the championship.
“I'm as motivated as ever....There is one thing missing,” Zverev told Prakash Amritraj of Tennis Channel after his victory, referring to the fact that he has yet to win a major title despite capturing Olympic gold and his second ATP Finals title in 2021.
Other players who will be considered favorites in Australia, especially if Djokovic doesn’t play, include Medvedev, the U.S. Open champion, and Rafael Nadal, whose only Australian Open title came in 2009. Roger Federer is still recovering from knee surgery and said he hopes to return at some point in 2022, but won’t play the Australian Open.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen with Australia,” former world No. 1 Andy Roddick said recently on Tennis Channel. “Nobody knows except Novak what he’s going to do and if he’s going to play the game the way it has to be played to participate in Australia.
“If he doesn’t, opportunity’s knocking for Medvedev, Zverev, Rafa’s going to be foaming at the mouth to get there and get to that 21st Slam so these other guys, they have to play their tournament either way.”
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November 29, 2021 at 12:59AM
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Novak Djokovic ‘Probably Won’t Play’ Australian Open Over ‘Blackmails And Conditions,’ His Father Says - Forbes
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