Masters 1000 Tournament Takes Novak Djokovic Out of the Picture, Rafael Nadal to Take Charge

Novak Djokovic might want to forget the start of this season quickly. The 20-time Grand Slam champion was embroiled in controversy ever since he set foot in Australia. He was granted a vaccine exemption to participate at the Australian Open 2022. However, on landing at the Melbourne Airport, his visa was canceled, and was subsequently detained.

The Serb decided to appeal his deportation in the Federal Court of Australia. Despite the initial ruling going in his favor, Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke exercised his powers and revoked his visa. Finally, a day before the commencement of the Australian Open, Djokovic lost the final appeal and was deported to Serbia.

The tennis calendar moves further after an action-packed Grand Slam Down Under. The first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season will be held at Indian Wells, CA, USA. The poster for the event was released yesterday and it had a surprise.

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Novak Djokovic missing from the poster of the BNP Paribas Open

The 34-year-old, who is a five-time champion at Indian Wells, was not featured on the poster of the tournament. BNP Paribas Open released its poster on their official Twitter handle. It had Rafael Nadal, who created history at the Australian Open by becoming the first man to lift 21 Grand Slam singles titles. Ashleigh Barty, who lifted the women’s singles title at the Grand Slam Down Under, was present besides Nadal.

Further, the poster had World Number 2 in men’s singles, Daniil Medvedev, and defending Indian Wells champion Paula Badosa of Spain.

It has resulted in speculations of whether Djokovic might miss the tournament owing to his vaccination status. However, the player’s list on the tournament’s official website contains his name. The tournament will be held from March 7, 2022, to March 20, 2022.

Novak Djokovic would be eager to put his Australian Open controversy behind as he looks to get his season back on track. However, if he misses the BNP Paribas Open, it would seriously dent his hopes of defending the top spot in the ATP rankings. Can Djokovic come back stronger further in the season? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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