Novak Djokovic set to defend his Wimbledon title despite being unvaccinated, no COVID restrictions in place
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Novak Djokovic posing with his 2021 Wimbledon trophy
World No.1 Novak Djokovic will be seen in action at the Wimbledon as he looks to defend his title from last year. While there are a lot of issues surrounding the Championships this year mainly over the ban on Russian and Belarusian players due to Russia’s invasion on Ukraine. Some reports earlier even suggested that Novak Djokovic will also be not allowed for his vaccination stance. But it has been cleared now that it is not a subject of entry at this year’s Championships.
“The requirement set out by the government to enter the UK does not include mandatory vaccination,” All England Lawn Tennis Club chief executive Sally Bolton told a news conference.“Therefore, while it is of course encouraged, it is not a condition of entry.”
Djokovic has gone through a lot this season due to his vaccination stance as he was deported from Australia and was not allowed to play and defend his title at the Australian Open. Following that he only featured at the Dubai Tennis Championships and there he got knocked out in the quarterfinals after losing to Jiri Vesely. He missed the entire United States swing on tour due to his vaccination status.
Currently, he is preparing himself to feature in the upcoming Roland Garros, where also he is looking to defend his title but as he has been out of action for such a long time, Djokovic is very rusty and needs time to get back to his best.
Before the Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic is more focused on defending his Roland Garros title
After faltering in the opening round against eventual finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Monte Carlo Masters, Djokovic featured at his home event in the Serbia Open. There he fared really well and showed tremendous fight as the crowd cheered him on to continue during tough situations. He fought his way past several players to find a way to the finals where he was up against Andrey Rublev.
All of Djokovic’s matches in the Serbia Open went to three sets as he defeated Karen Khachanov in the semifinals but fell to his compatriot Andrey Rublev in the finals. Rublev won the match 6-4, (4)5-7, 6-0 as he came up with a humiliating bagel to wrap up the ATP 250 event.
Djokovic will now turn his attention to the Madrid Masters as his rival Rafael Nadal will also return to the tour after suffering a rib stress fracture. The Spaniard’s return will put added pressure on the Serb as he aims to defend the Roland Garros title.
Wimbledon will start is scheduled to start from 27 June and run till 10 July.
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Atrayo Bhattacharya
(193 Articles Published)