Novak Djokovic will kick off preparations for his French Open title defense next month at the ATP Masters clay-court event in Monte Carlo, the Serbian has stated on his website.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner was unable to defend his Australian Open title in January after being kicked out of the country amid an outcry after initially being admitted to the tournament despite not has not been vaccinated against the coronavirus. The 34-year-old will also miss this month’s ATP 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami, unable to enter the United States without proof of vaccination.
“Novak will open his 2022 clay-court season in Monte Carlo, where he won the Masters 1000 title twice, in 2013 and 2015,” reads a post on his website. Monaco, where Djokovic resides, allows international travelers with proof of recovery from COVID-19 within the past six months. Djokovic said he tested positive for the virus for the second time in December.
The Monte Carlo Masters from April 10-17 will be the second tournament of the 2022 season for Djokovic, who lost in the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 in Dubai last month. France eased its COVID-19 restrictions this month, with vaccine passports no longer mandatory from March 14, opening the door for Djokovic to defend his Roland Garros title. The major is expected to start in May.
Djokovic is currently ranked world number two after losing his world number one status to Russian Daniil Medvedev last week.
(This story has not been edited by the Devdiscourse team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)