UPDATE: Novak Djokovic will give himself every chance of boarding a plane Down Under for January’s Australian Open after it was revealed he has officially entered the first Grand Slam of 2022.
All eyes were on the official entry list as the deadline to enter the tournament was reached today. And with the Serbian star named, the obvious conclusion to draw is that he will be playing to win his 21st major – the last one he needs to go alone at the top of the list of Grand Slam winners, with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal stranded on 20.
However, Tennis Australia has made it clear that just being on the list doesn’t guarantee Djokovic will play the tournament. It has been confirmed that the only way he will be able to enter the country is by getting vaccinated or successfully applying for a medical exemption, which hasn’t yet happened.
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So there are still some hurldes to leap before the world No.1 is cleared to arrive in Melbourne in his quest to win a 10th Australian Open title.
While Djokovic’s participation is still under a cloud, the Australian Open copped a significant blow with seven-time champion Serena Williams set to miss the 2022 event.
Williams, one of the best tennis players ever, has not nominated for the first Grand Slam of the year.
The 40-year-old American, who has won 23 Grand Slams across a glittering career, has not played a major tournament since retiring in the first round at Wimbledon in July.
At the last Australian Open in January, Williams made it to the semi finals before losing to Naomi Osaka. Williams has won Australia’s showcase tournament seven times, the latest in 2017.
She’s currently ranked No.41 in the world.
https://twitter.com/BenRothenberg/status/1468407817145135108?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
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