The No. 1-ranked tennis participant Novak Djokovic will take part within the ATP Cup in Sydney, Australia, in January, the match’s organizers mentioned on Tuesday. The announcement got here after weeks of hypothesis about whether or not Djokovic would journey to Australia for the Australian Open Grand Slam due to vaccine necessities.
The ATP Cup introduced that Djokovic would play on the Serbian crew within the match, which is able to happen through the first 9 days of the month. The cup is a precursor to the Australian Open, which will probably be held in Melbourne from Jan. 17 to Jan. 30. It’s nonetheless unclear if Djokovic will probably be participating in that competitors, nevertheless. He couldn’t instantly be reached for remark.
Australia has positioned a short lived two-week ban on worldwide arrivals due to the Omicron variant. Earlier than that, the federal government introduced that some classes of visa holders could be allowed to freely enter the nation in the event that they have been vaccinated. Officers positioned caps on the variety of unvaccinated vacationers who might enter the nation per week, they usually have been required to quarantine for 2 weeks upon arrival.
In October, Djokovic, the reigning champion and a nine-time winner of the Australian Open, advised a Serbian information outlet that he won’t attend the Australian Open as a result of he wouldn’t reveal his vaccination standing.
Daniel Andrews, the premier of Victoria, the state of which Melbourne is the capital, has mentioned that Victoria wouldn’t allow entry to unvaccinated gamers.
Final week, Mr. Djokovic’s father, Srdjan Djokovic, mentioned that his son was unlikely to take part within the match “underneath these blackmails and circumstances.”
Novak Djokovic’s comment in October set off rounds of contradictory statements between Australian authorities ministers and match organizers about entry necessities for worldwide guests.
Alex Hawk, the immigration minister, mentioned that unvaccinated gamers wouldn’t have the ability to enter Australia.
The Ladies’s Tennis Affiliation advised its gamers in a leaked e-mail that unvaccinated gamers could be allowed to enter the nation, although they must quarantine for 2 weeks upon arrival.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison mentioned one thing comparable: Unvaccinated gamers would have the ability to enter, however would want to adjust to quarantine necessities for the state wherein they arrived.