The news all Rafael Nadal have been waiting for arrives – now will Novak Djokovic follow him?

Australian Open
Rafael Nadal in cheerful mood

It is the image all Rafael Nadal fans have been waiting to see.

Just a few weeks after he confirmed he had contracted Covid-19, the former world No.1 has banished fears that he will miss the first Grand Slam of 2022 by flying into Melbourne to prepare for his return to action.

Nadal confirmed a positive Covid test result after competing in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi earlier this month, casting a huge doubt over his hopes to play in his first Grand Slam event since the French Open last summer.

Yet the 20-time Grand Slam champion has posted now an image on his social media channels to confirm he is in Australia.

Now the question over whether he will be joined by his long-time rival Novak Djokovic needs to be answered, with the Serbian yet to confirm whether he will fly to Australia in the coming days.

All players taking part in the Australian Open need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 and Djokovic has repeatedly declined to confirm whether he will comply with that rule.

There have been strong suggestions in recent days that Djokovic has attempted to get a medical exception to allow him to play in Melbourne, but that is unlikely to be granted.

So unless he has already been fully vaccinated by now, we can expect an announcement from Djokovic in the coming days to confirm he will miss the Grand Slam he has won nine times over the course of his career.

Novak Djokovic Rafael Nadal

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