Djokovic’s friend reveals his position on participating in the Australian Open

The British news agency “BA Media” reported that the world number one withdrew from the AFL Cup, the opening tournament of the season, which begins in Sydney on Sunday, as he was in the process of leading his country.

That job will go to Lajovic but there is still no confirmation on whether Djokovic, the nine-times champion, will compete at the Australian Open next month.

All players must either be fully vaccinated against the Corona virus or obtain a medical exemption from the Victorian state government, where there are strict standards in this regard.

Djokovic has repeatedly refused to reveal whether he was vaccinated or not, but he has previously said that he has doubts about the vaccine and has spoken strongly of his strong belief that athletes have a right to choose.

In a press conference ahead of the Fifa Cup, Lajovic said: “Unfortunately, he won’t be able to come here but I think he was hoping, as we had hoped, to be here somehow. Unfortunately, he’s not here, and he should. We have to deal with this.”

Regarding Djokovic’s chances of playing in Melbourne, Lajovic added: “He just said that he will not attend the ATP Cup, and that he is trying to attend the Australian Open.”

Players have begun arriving in Australia over the past few days and ramping up their preparations for the 2022 season, but with the Omicron mutant spreading around the world, tournament disruption looks inevitable.

And Anastasia Pavlichenkova, the French Open runner-up, became the latest player to reveal that she was infected with the Corona virus and entered isolation upon her arrival in Australia.

Andy Murray missed the tournament last year after contracting the Corona virus, but pictures were taken of him training at Melbourne Park with defending champion Naomi Osaka.