Novak Djokovic: World No 1 may miss Monte Carlo Masters and Indian Wells unless he is vaccinated

ByJames Walker-Roberts

Updated 10/02/2022 at 17:48 GMT

World No 1 Novak Djokovic is set to play competitively for the first time this year when he enters the ATP 500 event in Dubai on February 14. However, Djokovic may face difficulty entering more tournaments unless he is vaccinated. He was denied entry into Australia to play the Australian Open and may face problems in Indian Wells and the Monte Carlo Masters.

Novak Djokovic continues to face uncertainty over what tournaments he will able to enter after a warning from the director of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Djokovic was unable to play the Australian Open last month after being refused entry into the country as he was unvaccinated against Covid-19.

He is set to play in Dubai next week, where vaccination is not mandatory, but could face problems at the first ATP 1000 event of the season in Indian Wells as the United States requires non-US citizens to be fully vaccinated to travel to the country.

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France is currently operating a vaccine pass that allows only those who have been vaccinated to visit certain venues and attractions.

While the rules in the country could change before the Monte Carlo Masters starts on April 9, tournament director Zeljko Franulovic is uncertain if Djokovic will be able to feature.

“If he meets the health requirements of the French government, we will be happy to host him," said Franulovic.

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“He has to be in order. For the moment, as far as I know, he is not vaccinated. As soon as he is in good health with respect to government regulations, we will welcome him with open arms."

The Monte Carlo Masters was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and played without any fans last year. This time around there will be supporters in the stands for the first big event of the clay season.

ATP president Andrea Gaudenzi is hopeful that Djokovic will be competing at the event.

“Novak has already planned to play in Dubai, so of course this is good news," he said.

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“We want to see Novak happy and healthy, and we want to see him play. We want the best players for the best tournaments and Monte Carlo is one of them. It's one of the most important events on the calendar.

“Hopefully, we'll get a full house. We hope to leave Covid behind us as soon as possible. Honestly, we are hearing good news. We may be seeing the end of the tunnel. We're moving in the right direction to put this terrible pandemic behind us.”

Gaudenzi also spoke about a potential return to the tour for Roger Federer.

Federer has undergone another knee surgery and it is not yet known when he will play again competitively, although he is set to play the Laver Cup in London later this year.

“Roger is over 40 years old. Every match he plays from now on will be a gift for us," said Gaudenzi.

“We're obviously looking forward to him being back on the tour, but he's taking his time after the surgeries he's had. We're keeping our fingers crossed."

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