Australian Open 2022: Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal return, Novak Djokovic to lead the Men’s singles field
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Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem
The Australian Open 2022 announces their entry list of the 104 players based on the rankings with the tournament now only 5 weeks away. 3-time defending champion and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic leads the field and will be looking for his 21st Grand Slam title and 10th Australian Open title.
The entry list also confirms that former champion Rafael Nadal and 2020 US Open winner Dominic Thiem will also be returning to Grand Slam action after both the players had missed the 2021 Wimbledon Championships and the 2021 US Open with Thiem giving up his title in New York without getting a chance to defend it.
While Thiem is also set to play at the 2022 ATP Cup that starts from 1st January in Sydney, Nadal has decided to withdraw from the tournament so as to not risk any injury before the Grand Slam begins in the second half of January in Melbourne. The duo will be playing together at the 2021 Mubadala World Tennis Championship as well, the 3-day exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi in December before travelling to Down Under.
Novak Djokovic might still be absent from the Australian Open 2022
Djokovic’s participation at the Slam next year has been one of the most discussed topics in tennis circles in recent times given the tournament’s strict directive of being fully vaccinated and Novak’s refusal to reveal his vaccination status and hinting that he might skip the tournament.
The entry list is prepared given the rankings of the players and includes all players unless any player has officially announced that they will not be part of the tournament as is the case with 6-time champion Roger Federer and his compatriot, 2014 Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka who are both not playing at this year’s tournament due to respective injuries.
Andy Murray is also missing from the list but that is understandable given his ranking outside the 104 ranks and might be playing at the tournament through a wildcard as he has been granted previously at the US Open and Wimbledon as well during the 2021 season.
Djokovic is also on the list of players playing at the 2022 ATP Cup but might skip both the tournaments if he decides that he will not reveal his vaccination status and might skip both tournaments completely withdrawing before the tournament starts. An official statement from the Djokovic camp is expected soon as said by the player himself after Serbia lost in the semi-finals of the 2021 Davis Cup Finals.
Also Read: BREAKING: “I will miss seeing the fans” Serena Williams to skip the 2022 Australian Open
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)