Will Novak Djokovic start at the Australian Open or not? The Serbian tennis star could reach his 21st Grand Slam title in Melbourne. He was not as successful in any discipline as Down Under, winning nine times.

But there is a big question mark behind his attack on the tenth title in the Australian Open. Because in Melbourne there will be a mandatory vaccination for all tennis professionals next year. The world number one keeps his vaccination status strictly confidential.

After the ATP Finals in Turin, the Serb was a bit of a mystery. “I don’t know yet – we’ll see,” Djokovic said of a potential Melbourne appearance. “I haven’t spoken to the regulators yet – so I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

Tennis Australia chief Craig Tilly is now optimistic about his appearance on The Today Show. “We expect Novak to be involved,” the 59-year-old says of Djokovic’s January start.

Of course there is a lot of speculation about the topic of vaccination. “But we have confirmation that almost all of the players have been vaccinated,” said Tilley. However, there is still a lot of guesswork for the world’s number one position. “Novak always said it was a private matter for him.”

However, Tilley hopes the Serb will be there in Melbourne. “It’s a tournament where he’s always had a lot of success. It has often allowed him to get the season off to a great start. Hopefully he’s here.”

One of the factors that can speak of Djokovic’s start is the audience. “We won’t have any restrictions, fans come from all over Australia. Tilley promised it would be a great tournament.