Australian tennis great on Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open dilemma: ‘I do think he’ll play’
Australian doubles legend Todd Woodbridge believes Novak Djokovic will line up at next year’s Australian Open as there is just too much on the line.
With Victoria state officials insisting that players will only be given visas to compete if they have been double vaccinated, question marks remain over Djokovic’s position as he has refused to reveal if he has received the Covid-19 vaccine.
Novak Djokovic explains why ‘bad memory’ has left him indecisive about competing at 2022 Australian Open
The 20-time Grand Slam winner has stated that he will only make a decision about the Australian Open once Tennis Australia has taken official position, but Woodbridge says there is too much at stake for Djokovic to skip the tournament given he is tied on most Grand Slams with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
“I think given what’s on the line, it would be amazing if he didn’t turn up. Yeah, I do think he’ll play,” he told AAP.
Although Woodbridge cautions that being unvaccinated could pose problems for Djokovic further down the line, he feels the Serbian has every right to stick to his principles.
“It would be his own personal statement in a sense of what he believes in,” he added.
“I suppose that’s what’s given him that point of difference in his career, where he made the decision to make changes to his diet and his fitness and in his health.
“And that’s up to him to make those choices.
“But I don’t think Australia’s going to be the only issue for him moving forward. It’s more about how does the rest of the year play out if that were to happen.”
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