Hopes of Novak Djokovic to win your tenth Australian Open and the historic record of 21 Grand Slams was shattered on Thursday when his visa was canceled upon arrival in Melbourne. But his absence also affects the first major tournament of the season.
World number one Novak Djokovic was seeking his tenth title in Melbourne and the record of 21 Grand Slams won. The 34-year-old Serbian had won the Australian Open in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
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But the revalidation of the title derailed at night at Melbourne airport, where he was prevented from entering Australia and his visa was canceled.
The Serbian had landed on Wednesday night after celebrating on social networks that he had obtained a medical exemption to play the tournament without showing that he had been vaccinated against covid-19.
This exception, approved by two independent medical committees, has caused discomfort in many Australians who have been dealing with harsh restrictions and lockdowns for two years.
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The absence of Djokovic could benefit Rafa Nadal
Without Djokovic, sports romantics can dream of it being Spanish Rafael Nadal who is crowned for the second time in Australia and stands as the top Grand Slams winner in the history of men’s tennis. The 35-year-old Balearic is tied with Djokovic and Roger Federer of Switzerland.
Nadal arrives in Australia after months missing from a Covid-19 infection at the end of the year and a foot injury that left him out of Wimbledon and the US Open.
Australia’s six-time winner Roger Federer will miss the tournament to recover from a knee injury in his 40s.
The options for a new champion
Since the Russian Marat Safin triumphed in Melbourne in 2005, the record of the first Grand Slam of the year has been dominated almost exclusively by the “Three Musketeers”: Djokovic, Federer and Nadal. Only the Swiss Stan Wawrinka, also injured in this edition, managed to break this dominance by beating the Spanish tennis player in the 2014 final.
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Without Djokovic and with the unknown of how Nadal will return after months away, the stage may be set to crown a new king in Melbourne. It could be the Russian Daniil Medvedev, who lost the 2021 final to Djokovic and won the US Open in 2021. If not, the German Alexander Zverev and the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas also aspire to lift the first Grand Slam of their careers .
SPORTS
With AFP
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