"My wish is to see Novak Djokovic healthy and happy on tour, it's a shame his vaccination status is preventing him from playing" - ATP chairman
ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi hopes to see Novak Djokovic "healthy and happy" and competing again as the Serb has a "huge impact" on every tournament he plays. The Italian also admitted it is a shame that the Serb's COVID-19 vaccine stance is preventing him from playing more regularly.
Djokovic made his first appearance of the 2022 season at the Dubai Tennis Championships last week. The 34-year-old was defeated by qualifier and eventual runner-up Jiri Vesely 6-4, 7-6(4) in the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 tournament.
The loss meant the 20-time Grand Slam champion lost the World No. 1 position to Daniil Medvedev when this week's ATP rankings were released on Monday. He was unable to defend his 2021 Australian Open crown in January following his deportation from the country, after a two-week saga over his vaccination status and visa.
We have a new King of Tennis 👑
Congrats to Daniil Medvedev on becoming 27th World No.1 in ATP Rankings history 💪
#DaniilMedvedev #WorldNo1 #Tennis #Ranking #ATP https://t.co/ZqcMstIePU
In an interview with Spox, Gaudenzi spoke of the effect the legendary Serb has wherever he plays and the fact that his vaccine status is currently restricting where he can compete.
"My wish is to see Novak healthy and happy on tour," Gaudenzi said. "As one of our greatest champions, he has a huge impact on every event he plays. At the moment it's a shame that his vaccination status seems to be preventing him that he can be in certain tournaments. For our part, we can only continue to emphasize that we recommend the vaccination to all our players."
Gaudenzi is a former professional player who was ranked as high as 19th in the world and won three singles titles, before retiring in 2003.
Novak Djokovic will be able to compete at Monte-Carlo Masters and French Open
Novak Djokovic looks set to defend his Roland Garros title after the French government announced it will lift its rules regarding COVID-19 vaccine passes. The easing of restrictions means the 34-year-old will also be able to compete at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Monte-Carlo.
The new rules are expected to come into effect on 14 March, with the Monte-Carlo Masters set to start on 9 April and the French Open scheduled to begin on 22 May. The Serb is a two-time champion at both events, having won Monte Carlo in 2013 and 2015 and Roland Garros in 2016 and 2021.
Entry in France would not require vaccination pass after 14 March 🤩
This means Novak Djokovic can play French Open and Monte-Carlo Masters 🔥
#NovakDjokovic #FrenchOpen #RolandGarros #Tennis #Vaccination https://t.co/yEGrz0XZXk
The current World No. 2 is, however, set to miss the Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami this month due to being unvaccinated.