Staff Reporter.
World number one Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from Serbia’s ATP Cup team.
Djokovic has been replaced by world number 33 Dusan Lajovic for Serbia in the 16-country ATP Cup, which begins in Sydney on Saturday.
Austria have been replaced by France at the event following the withdrawals of Dominic Thiem,ranked 15th and Dennis Novak.
There remains uncertainty over whether the 34-year-old will compete at the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on 17 January.All players and staff at the 2022 Australian Open must be vaccinated or have a medical exemption granted by an independent panel of experts.
However defending champion Djokovic has not spoken publicly about his vaccination status and in his interview with the French sports daily, said there would be no questions about his participation in the Australian Open.
Djokovic, who defeated Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the 2021 final to claim a record-extending ninth Australian Open men’s singles title, is on the entry list for the first Grand Slam of 2022.
Speaking about world No.2 Medvedev, Djokovic said: “He is not politically correct but I am like that. I can easily identify with that. The same for Zverev. He has the same approach.
“We can talk about a rebel’s mentality but not only that. We want to be authentic, stick to our values.
“When you make a mistake, I like it when you say: ‘I made a mistake’. If you want to criticise me, OK, it is your choice. I am not perfect but I am going to try to learn from all this.
Meanwhile, former US Open champion Sam Stosur has announced that the Australian Open will be the final tournament of her singles career.
The 37-year-old Australian will continue to play doubles in 2022 following what will be her 20th Australian Open and 69th Grand Slam singles appearance.
“It really means a lot to me to be able to finish in front of my family, friends and Aussie fans who have stuck by me through thick and thin,” Stosur said.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a mix of emotions but I wouldn’t want it any other way as I always thought I’d finish playing in Australia. I do however plan to play the rest of the year in doubles but this will close the first chapter of my career.”