The fifth-ranked player in the world missed the first Grand Slam of 2022 because, following a contentious legal dispute.
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Organisers announced on Wednesday that Novak Djokovic will start his quest for a tenth Australian Open victory at the Adelaide International after receiving approval for an entry visa. The fifth-ranked player in the world missed the first Grand Slam of 2022 because, following a contentious legal dispute, he was deported due to his vaccination status. Since then, Australia no longer requires visitors to produce documentation of Covid vaccination, and the government lifted his three-year ban in November.
“The Australian Open has been my most successful Grand Slam.” the Serbian said. “I made some of the best memories there.”
From January 1 to 8, Djokovic will compete against a talented field that includes Andy Murray, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, and Andrey Rublev, who are ranked 6, 7, and 8 respectively. Rafael Nadal, his longtime rival and the current Australian Open champion, will instead use the United Cup, a brand-new mixed teams competition taking place in Perth, Brisbane, and Sydney, as his Grand Slam warm-up.
Ons Jabeur, ranked second, Aryna Sabalenka, ranked fifth, Daria Kasatkina, ranked eighth, and Veronika Kudermetova, ranked ninth, are all competing in Adelaide to start the year. Victoria Azarenka, a two-time winner of the Australian Open, Elena Rybakina, a 2022 Wimbledon champion, as well as Grand Slam champions Bianca Andreescu and Jelena Ostapenko round out the field. Melbourne Park hosts the Australian Open from January 16 to 29.
“We are thrilled to confirm such a world-class lineup for week one of the Adelaide International,” tournament director Alistair MacDonald said in announcing the lineup for the ATP-WTA event.
