"Novak is always welcome" - Australian Open director on Djokovic's participation
ATPWednesday, 13 July 2022 at 06:00
Updated at Sunday, 26 January 2025 at 14:04
Novak Djokovic still doesn't know if he will be able to participate in the following Grand Slam tournaments as his US Open and Australian Open participations are in doubt.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion might not be allowed to add a 22nd title to his collection for quite some time. First, he will be facing difficulty when entering the United States as the country requires a vaccination.
Then, he faces a three-year ban in Australia. But that seems to be going in a good direction recently for the experienced Serbian. There are talks that the ban may be lifted by a new Prime Minister and therefore, Djokovic might be able to compete at his most successful Grand Slam tournament.
Craig Tiley, the Australian Open tournament director, spoke about their stance on Djokovic's participation recently. First, he congratulated the Serbian for his recent success at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships and then also described the current situation regarding his participation in the next year's tournament.
"Novak played outstandingly and absolutely deserved to win. He played fantastic, I'm happy for him and his team. It was a difficult year, but he is practically invincible at the Central Stadium. Now I congratulated them on an incredible two weeks, Novak did an excellent job."
"It is up to others to make a decision, but there is still a lot of time before the Australian Open next year. I think everyone should now enjoy his victory at Wimbledon."
According to Tiley, fans in Australia want to see Djokovic compete. He also emphasized that while it's not his decision, he would warmly welcome the Serbian player in Melbourne.
"I think we are doing our best. Clearly, it's not my decision whether he will be able to play at the Australian Open, but Novak is always welcome, he knows that many people in Australia like to watch him play."
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