Novak Djokovic urged to commit to Australian Open despite likely vaccination requirement

Doubles legend Todd Woodbridge hopes Novak Djokovic does not let anything stop him competing at the Australian Open in January.

The Australian government are notoriously strict when it comes to COVID protocols, and they have all but confirmed that all players will have to be vaccinated in order to play the tournament in 2022.

Djokovic is one of many players to have expressed concerns about the vaccine before, and he has always refused to reveal his vaccination status, as his right.

However, 14-time Grand Slam winner Woodbridge hopes the world number one will choose to do whatever it takes to play the event – especially with the opportunity to make history there for him.

“It’s difficult,” Woodbridge told Wide World of Sports radio. “He’s obviously had COVID-19.

“He probably feels he’s got some special strength against it.

“The reality is, the rest of the world is doing what we’re doing. I think at some point you probably think he’s going to have to get vaccinated.

“It’s going to be taken out of Tennis Australia’s hands, it will be what the government decides you’ve got to do to get into the country.

“If he wants to come and play in the Australian Open, it’s looking likely he will have to take that vaccination.

“Personally I think that’s a good thing. But it has been put out there for a while now to the playing group that this is the most likely scenario if you want to come down to Australia.

“With so much on the line for Novak, you’ve got to think that he’s seriously going to think about it.

“He’s tied at 20 with [Roger Federer] and [Rafael Nadal] for Grand Slam titles and he wants to take that over and spread that gap.

“Coming to the tournament that he’s won so much, you’ve got to think he’s seriously thinking about doing it. It would be a shock to me if he doesn’t come to Australia.”