Could Novak Djokovic Defend His French Open Title in 2022 Following Strict Guidelines?

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic did not get the chance to defend his title at the Australian Open 2022. In his stead, the final boiled down to 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal and World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev.

Even though Djokovic had landed in Australia to play at the major, things went south for him. The Australian government detained him upon arrival. Moreover, there was an abundance of slander against the Serbian champion in the media, the world over.

After weeks of controversy and legal proceedings, Novak Djokovic had to leave Australia. Consequently, he did not get a chance to compete at the Happy Slam and potentially missed out on a 21st Grand Slam title.

Novak Djokovic sets his sights on the French Open

Djokovic’s deportation from Australia rendered him unable to defend his Australian Open title. Nevertheless, he could very well play in the French Open later this year.

The French Open is the next major of the year after the Australian Open. Many had already been speculating about Novak Djokovic’s participation at Roland Garros. In fact, even that has been nothing less of a roller coaster, which seems to be the case for everything around the Serb.

Earlier in January, French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu had stated on public radio that Novak would be welcome to play in France. At the time, the country allowed unvaccinated individuals into its borders.

However, after a couple of weeks, France passed stringent new laws which banned unvaccinated individuals from occupying public places. Thus, Novak’s presence at Roland Garros was in question yet again. However, the Serbian World No. 1 could very well get an exemption to play at the clay-court major.

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This is because the new laws exempt any individual who caught the virus within the last 6 months. Novak Djokovic had tested positive for COVID-19 in December. In fact, Serbian lawyers have just recently corroborated his medical reports, as well.

ATP releases new guidelines for the French Open

The ATP has shared a list of guidelines to players and team members ahead of the French Open regarding participation. The guidelines are in regard to the vaccination status of players and how that would impact participation.

However, they have stressed that the ATP or the French Tennis Federation would not be responsible for any inaccuracies or sudden changes in policy by the government of France. Clearly, they do not want a repeat of what happened Down Under with Novak Djokovic.

From what the ATP has gathered so far, fully-vaccinated players will not face any trouble in competing at Rolan Garros. On the other hand, any players or support team members who do not fulfill the vaccination criteria will enter a ‘controlled environment’.

However, even for that to happen, they would have to fall under the ‘exemption categories’ that the French government has specified. At the time, it looks like Novak Djokovic could very well compete, but would have to adhere to a different set of rules.

Any players who compete at Roland Garros through the exemption categories would not be allowed to enter restaurants, supermarkets, shopping malls, etc. However, they could still go for a daily jog, as per guidelines.

Are you excited to see Novak Djokovic play at the highest level once again? Could a 21st Grand Slam be on the cards for the Serbian?

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