Novak Djokovic will defend hisAustralian Open title in 2022 after months of speculation.- The Serbian has been given an medical exemption, meaning he can play while not vaccinated against COVID.
Novak Djokovic has revealed he will be able to defend his Australian Open title later this month after being given a medical exemption from having a COVID-19 vaccine.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has long stressed that players either need to be fully vaccinated or have a medical exemption to participate in the 2022 tournament.
Djokovic's participation in the tournament, which he has won a record nine times, has been the subject of huge speculation thanks to his refusal to publicly disclose his vaccination status ahead of the competition.
This led to widespread rumors that he could skip the year's first Grand Slam. Those rumors intensified when he dropped out of the Serbia team for the ATP Cup in Sydney.
However, on Tuesday, the Serbian confirmed in an Instagram post that he was en route to Melbourne to defend his title, having been granted an exemption allowing him to play while unvaccinated.
"Happy New Year, everybody!" he wrote alongside a photo of himself at an airport with his
"I've spent fantastic quality time with my loved ones over the break and today I'm heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let's go 2022!!"
Tiley revealed last month that a number of players had been granted medical exemptions to compete at the Open, though did not name Djokovic.
"We know of athletes that have applied for an exemption and in cases, it's been granted," he said. "The reason for granting the exemption remains private, between the panel and the applicant.
"Some of those have indicated that they're here, but that's up to the athlete, to disclose whether they want to share that information."
It is unclear under what grounds Djokovic has been given an exemption. The Australian Open did not immediately reply to Insider's request for comment.
Djokovic odds on to reclaim crown
Djokovic's inclusion in the Australian Open will come as bad news for the rest of the men's draw.
The 34-year-old has won all of the last three titles, and he will now be favourite to win again, especially with a weakened roster that does not feature Dominic Thiem and Roger Federer.
Victory in Melbourne would see Djokovic claim the 21st Grand Slam title of his career, moving him one ahead of both Federer and Rafael Nadal in the all-time leaderboard.
He missed a chance to become the record holder at the US Open in September when he lost to Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Despite losing, however, Djokovic called the match "very special" due to the support he had received from the crowd in New York, which had brought him to tears during the match.
"I felt something I never felt in my life here in New York," he said.
"The crowd made me very special. They pleasantly surprised me. I did not expect anything, but the amount of support and energy and love I got from the crowd was something that I'll remember forever."