Novak Djokovic has ended months of uncertainty and conjecture about his involvement in the Australian Open after announcing that he has secured a medical exemption to defend his title.
Strict vaccination requirements at the tournament, where all players are required to be fully inoculated against Covid-19 unless granted a dispensation on medical grounds, had cast doubt on the world No 1’s participation.
Djokovic has declined to reveal his immunisation status, but expressed strong reservations about taking a Covid vaccine in the early stages of the pandemic and recently withdrew from the ATP Cup in Sydney, heightening speculation that he would miss the season’s first grand slam. But in an upbeat social media post, Djokovic, who will be seeking a 10th title at Melbourne Park, announced that he has been cleared to play.
“Happy New Year, everybody! Wishing you all health, love, and happiness in every present moment and may you feel love and respect towards all beings on this wonderful planet,” he wrote on Instagram.
“I’ve spent fantastic quality time with my loved ones over the break and today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let’s go 2022!”
The news was confirmed in a statement released by Tennis Australia.
“Novak Djokovic will compete at the Australian Open and is on his way to Australia,” said the national governing body. “Djokovic applied for a medical exemption which was granted following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts.”
Craig Tiley, the tournament director, later provided further details of the exemption process in an interview with the Today Show, an Australian breakfast TV programme, explaining that all exemption requests were anonymised before being assessed by two panels of experts.
“It was a process that goes above and beyond what anyone coming into Australia would have experienced,” said Tiley.
“There have been 26 athletes and their primary support staff that have made applications, and a handful of those have been granted by the panel.
“There were many that didn’t, so therefore they were rejected. If they met the guidelines – including, for example, having had Covid recently, in the past six months – any person that met those conditions is allowed to come in.
“There has been no special favour, no special opportunity granted to Novak, nor would there be to any tennis player. In fact, there’s been a process that goes above and beyond the normal process.”
Djokovic’s dispensation drew a sceptical response from his contemporaries. “I think if it was me that wasn’t vaccinated, I wouldn’t be getting an exemption,” said Jamie Murray, the former doubles world No 1, following Great Britain’s ATP Cup defeat to Canada.
Murray’s scepticism was echoed by Alex de Minaur, the world No 34, who said after Australia’s 3-0 defeat to Russia in the same competition: “I just think it’s just very interesting, that’s all I’m going to say. But, hey, it is what it is. I just hope that the other players that I heard [about] – there were other cases as well – they [also] got exemptions.”