Novak Djokovic to make another surprise appearance as he takes wild-card for 2022 Astana Open in Nur-Sultan
ATP
Novak Djokovic has added another tournament to his busy post-US Open schedule. He will also compete at the 2022 Astana Open in Nur-Sultan.
In 2022, the 21-time Grand Slam champion missed two out of four Grand Slam tournaments and dropped to the seventh spot in the ATP Rankings. However, in the ATP Race, Djokovic is ranked 15th.
Therefore, it's possible that for the first time in five years, he won't finish a season in the Top 10. Ahead of the 2022 Laver Cup, Djokovic spoke about not playing at the Australian Open and US Open this year.
The Serbian player emphasized that he was aware of the consequences and accepted them. Still, with no points being awarded at the Wimbledon Championships this year and Djokovic missing the other two out of three Grand Slam tournaments, he misses a lot of points.
Maybe also in an attempt to recover some of the points that he lost out on, the 21-time major winner will play two events that were usually not in his schedule.
First, Djokovic will compete at the 2022 Tel Aviv Open, where he will also play doubles alongside the only player he even lifted a doubles title with, Jonathan Erlich. His decision to play in Israel was likely motivated by the doubles partnership with Erlich, who will retire from the sport.
After that, the Serbian will move to Kazakhstan, where he will compete at the 2022 Astana Open in Nur-Sultan after receiving a wild card for the tournament.
The 2022 Astana Open features a star-studded entry list. The likes of Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Stefanos Tsitsipas will all compete at the ATP 500 tournament.
Moreover, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka also received a wild card for the event. Therefore, the tournament should really deliver plenty of exciting matches, and Djokovic will be part of the action.
