Djokovic set to return to action at ATP Tour event in Dubai
Novak Djokovic is set to return to action at next month’s ATP Tour event in Dubai.
The world No 1 is on the entry list for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, which begin on February 21.
It is set to be Djokovic’s first appearance since his deportation from Australia ahead of the Australian Open earlier this month.
The 34-year-old has not spoken publicly since returning to Serbia but has been photographed on a trip to Montenegro.
Entrants to Dubai do not need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 and it is a tournament Djokovic has often played in the past, with the 34-year-old winning the title five times.
Djokovic is likely to find his playing options severely limited if he remains unvaccinated, and will probably be unable to play at the big events in Indian Wells and Miami in March.
As revealed by Sportsmail last week, Djokovic faces the prospect of being banned from locker rooms and other on-site facilities during tournaments because he refuses to get the vaccine.
Instructions sent to players participating at lower-tier events in Italy , seen by Sportsmail , spell out draconian restrictions applying to the few who remain unjabbed.
According to ATP sources, there is widespread expectation that these are to be brought in across the tour to simplify rules and avoid the kind of confusion seen in Australia.
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Away from Melbourne, there are a series of Challenger events going on in Italy, an increasingly important market for tennis that hosts one of the classic clay-court Opens and the year-end tour finals in Turin.
The document states that unvaccinated players are allowed to compete, provided that they return a negative Covid test every 48 hours. However, in highlighted red type it then goes on to say: ‘They will not be allowed to use any tournament facilities (locker rooms, gym, on-site cafes etc), restaurants or hotels.’
Djokovic is unlikely to be permitted to enter the French Open or the US Open under Covid vaccine rules.