Djokovic races against time for the Australian Open

SYDNEY – Serbian tennis player Dusan Lajovic confirmed that his compatriot Novak Djokovic, ranked first in the world, may participate in the Australian Open, the first of the four Grand Slams, despite his decision to withdraw at the last minute from the ATP Cup scheduled in Sydney.
Djokovic, the winner of 20 major championships, announced his withdrawal from the competition expected to start in Sydney tomorrow, raising doubts about defending his title in the Australian Championship or not.
Djokovic refuses to disclose whether or not he received a vaccine against the “Covid 19” virus, at a time when all participants need to be vaccinated or obtain a medical exemption to ensure that they participate in the first major tournaments this year.
Lajovic, the world number 33, who will lead Serbia to the League Cup in the absence of Djokovic, said the latter wanted to be in Sydney, adding: “Unfortunately he was not able to come here, you know, I think he was hoping for that, we have to deal with It is as it is.” “I don’t know the official reason, maybe the ATP knows that, he just said he’s not coming to the ITP and will try to compete in the Australian Open.”
However, government officials in the state of Victoria, which hosts the Australian championship, have been insisting in the past months that only vaccinators can participate in the “Grand Slam” scheduled for January 17-30.
In the absence of Nadal, who is infected with the Corona virus, Spain is led by Roberto Bautista Agut, who is ranked nineteenth in the world, as Spain opens its campaign against Chile tomorrow, while Russia, the defending champion, led by Daniel Medvedev, plays against France the day after. Serbia won the first edition in 2020, while Russia won the second edition in 2021. – (AFP)