While the conditions for playing the next Australian Open are expected to be pretty tough for unvaccinated players, Novak Djokovic, who does not want to say if he is vaccinated or not, is not yet sure if he will go to Melbourne.
Since his loss in the final of the US Open against Daniil Medvedev, which deprived him of a historic Grand Slam calendar, Novak Djokovic has not yet resumed competition, but he should be present at the Rolex Paris Masters in two weeks, then at the ATP Masters in Turin, before going to play the final phase of the Davis Cup with Serbia in Innsbruck then in Madrid. Absent in Indian Wells for the past fortnight, the world No. 1 gave an interview to the Serbian newspaper Flash, and notably mentioned the next Australian Open, of which he is the defending champion. While the conditions promise to be strict for non-vaccinated players (quarantine at the hotel without being able to train), the Serb admits that he does not yet know if he will go to Melbourne, while specifying that he does not wish to say if he is vaccinated or not.
Djokovic: “I have the impression that everyone is hostile to me”
“As I understand it, the government and Tennis Australia will make their final decision in two weeks. Like this year, there will be a lot of restrictions. From what I heard from my agent, they are trying to improve conditions for all players, vaccinated or not. Considering all of this, I’m still not sure if I’ll be playing in Melbourne. There is excessive speculation on the part of the media too, which bothers me a lot. The media is putting pressure on a lot of people. Right now there is too much that is not clear, too much information that is not valid, then it turns out to be valid, and then it is not. I didn’t talk too much (about the vaccination) because everyone was guessing based on something I said a year ago. I will not tell you if I have been vaccinated or not. This is a private matter and according to our law, whoever asks you, you can kind of blame them for asking you. This is a crazy question. Too many people today allow themselves the freedom to ask for things and to condemn a person. It sows fear and panic among people and I don’t want to participate in it. I have the impression that everyone is hostile to me. I don’t want to give them a reason to write things about me. I’m telling you, I don’t know if I’m going to go to Australia. Of course I want to go. Melbourne has been my most successful Grand Slam. “He has indeed won it nine times, and it is undoubtedly there that he would have the most chances of winning the 21st Grand Slam and thus overtake Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. But the pandemic could call everything into question.
