Boost for Novak in his bid to catch Rafa
Aussie Open ban set to be lifted as Djok chases rival’s 22 Slams
NOVAK Djokovic is set to play at January’s Australian Open with the increasing likelihood that his three-year ban from entering the country will be overturned.
The Wimbledon champion is, as it stands, barred from entering America for the US Open next month due to regulations stopping unvaccinated visitors arriving. However, Australian tennis chiefs are confident that he will be able to resume his pursuit of Grand Slams in Melbourne.
The reason is that the new Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, is expected to take a more sympathetic view of the Djokovic case than his predecessors.
Albanese is a huge tennis follower who plays the sport several times a week. Sportsmail understands he does not want the Australian Open to be diluted by the absence of its nine-time winner, who reaffirmed on Sunday that he is still at the height of his powers.
The PM has a close dialogue with Tennis Australia – far closer than the previous administration – and will be minded to rescind the current three-year bar on entry after the international incident that unfolded this year.
Tennis Australia have said the matter is not their decision, but the outcome is expected to be that Djokovic plays, in the hope of potentially equalling Rafael Nadal’s 22 Grand Slam titles.
The Serb may not play again until after the US Open, by which time even more damage will have been done to his ranking.
The men’s winner woke up yesterday as one of many players to find the distortions to the rankings spelled out in black and white as the listings emerged post-Wimbledon.
With points stripped from the event due to the ban on Russian players, numerous find themselves in false positions, with no official reward (or punishment) for the quality of their performances.
Instead of bolstering his standing by defending his title, Djokovic has gone down from No3 to No7. Women’s champion Elena Rybakina is similarly affected. She should have gone well into the top 10, but is instead unchanged at No 23.
These numbers are particularly important in tennis as they determine entries to tournaments and seedings for draws.