Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the ATP Cup, heightening the sense of uncertainty surrounding his defence of the Australian Open title.
“World No 1 Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the 2022 ATP Cup,” organisers of the season-opening team event, which gets underway in Sydney on New Year’s Day, said in a statement. “Team Serbia will now be led by world No 33 Dusan Lajovic.”
Tennis Australia had previously denied reports emanating from Djokovic’s homeland that he would not play at the ATP Cup, stating that there had been no withdrawals from the Serbia team.
Djokovic’s initial inclusion on the ATP Cup entry list was widely seen as an indication that he planned to appear at the Australian Open, despite the tournament’s stipulation that all competitors must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 unless approved for a medical exemption by an independent panel of experts.
Djokovic has refused to reveal his vaccination status, insisting it is a private matter, but has repeatedly advocated freedom of choice. In April last year, he stated that he was “opposed to vaccination”, although he conceded that his stance could change.
The stakes could not be higher for Djokovic over the Australian summer. The Serb, who has won a record nine titles at Melbourne Park, is currently level with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on 20 majors. Another victory would lift him clear of his two great rivals as the most successful male player in history, leaving him just three wins short of Margaret Court’s all-time slam record of 24.
However, Djokovic’s father, Srdjan, suggested last month that his son would probably miss the Australian Open, insisting players were being held to ransom by the tournament’s Covid rules. “It is the personal right of each of us whether we will be vaccinated or not,” he told the Serbian television network Prva. “Under these blackmails and conditions, [Djokovic] probably won’t [play the Australian Open]. I wouldn’t do that. And he’s my son, so you decide for yourself.”
A Serbian newspaper claimed on Tuesday that Djokovic would withdraw from the Australian Open after being denied a medical exemption. “As things stand now, Novak is not going to Australia,” a source close to the player’s family allegedly told Informer. “The medical commission rejected him for medical exemption and will not allow him to play unvaccinated.”
Last weekend another Serbian publication, Blic, broke the news that Djokovic would not compete at the ATP Cup.
Both newspapers are based in Belgrade, where Djokovic has been practising at his tennis centre in the Dorcol neighbourhood.
One player definitely out of the Australian Open is former finalist Dominic Thiem. In an announcement on social media, the Austrian said his rehabilitation from the wrist injury he suffered at the Mallorca Open in June was progressing well, but that he had decided to withdraw from the first slam of the season “in order to have a good return to competition” at the Cordoba Open in Argentina, which begins at the end of the month.