Aussie government U-turn opens door to Djokovic
Novak Djokovic looks set to have his ban on entering australia rescinded in time for january’s Grand Slam there. Government sources have told Melbourne media outlets the 35-year-old Serb will be allowed in to contest the tournament he has won nine times previously. Unvaccinated travellers are now permitted to enter the country, but Djokovic was barred for three years after the fiasco around this year’s australian open.
But as Sportsmail reported at Wimbledon, Tennis australia have been confident for some time that the ban will be lifted. a major reason is the change of government this year. The new Prime Minister, anthony albanese, is a well-known tennis nut who plays several times per week. Djokovic has missed two Slams this year and in the one that he won — Wimbledon — he was unable to claim any points. That has seen his ranking fall to No 7 and in his absence Spanish teenager carlos alcaraz was facing Norway’s casper Ruud in last night’s US open final, with
the winner crowned world No 1. Djokovic’s next appearance will be in this month’s Laver cup at London’s o2 arena. in australia his first appearance would likely be in a new mixed-team competition at the start of january, which is expected to be the subject of an announcement this week. While the new men’s No 1 will not be far ahead of the field, there is no doubt who the best female is — iga Swiatek. The 21-year-old Pole has taken two Grand Slams this year, adding the US open to the French when she defeated ons jabeur 6-2, 7-5 on Saturday night. With australian open winner ash Barty retired and Wimbledon throwing up a surprise winner in Elena Rybakina, Swiatek continues to stand above the pack. She certainly has a champion’s mentality when it comes to finals, as this was the 10th consecutive that she has won in straight sets. Her first set was immaculate against the Tunisian, who staged a rearguard action in the second only to emulate her runner-up finish at SW19 this summer. Swiatek was not at her best in the early rounds, but showed the priceless ability to get the job done when struggling. Modest and down-toearth, Swiatek knows she is not a natural fit for the US open. But if she can make it here she can make it anywhere.
‘at Roland Garros i always feel like i have more control,’ she said.
‘on arthur ashe, i still need to figure out the atmosphere. i wasn’t sure if i was at the level yet to win, especially at the US open where the surface is so fast. ‘it’s something i wasn’t
expecting. it’s confirmation for me that sky is the limit.’
She succeeds Emma Raducanu, who this week is in Portoroz in Slovenia, playing Dayana Yastremska in the first round.