When Will Novak Djokovic Play Again? Here's An Important Update

Tennis world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is set to return to action at next month's ATP Tour event in Dubai. It will be the Serbian tennis star’s first competitive appearance this year since his deportation from Australia earlier this month.

Djokovic’s name is on the entry list for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, which begin on Feb. 21, according to Sky Sports.

While Djokovic has not given a statement since returning to Serbia, he was recently photographed on a trip to Montenegro.

Travelers entering Dubai do not need to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Djokovic has often played at the Dubai Tennis Championships in the past, which is an ATP World Tour 500 event. The World No. 1 has won the singles title in Dubai five times, with his last triumph in 2020 when he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4. The most successful men’s player in Dubai is Roger Federer with eight titles.

If Djokovic remains unvaccinated, he could have his options limited this year and will probably be unable to play at the big events in Indian Wells and Miami in March.

Djokovic, who holds a record nine Australian Open titles, was not allowed to participate in the ongoing edition and was deported from the country after the Immigration Minister revoked his visa.

After Djokovic lost his Australia visa appeal, he accepted the court's decision and left the country.

"I would like to make a brief statement to address the outcome's [sic] of today's Court hearing, I will now be taking some time to rest and recuperate, before making any further comments beyond this. I'm extremely disappointed with the Court ruling to discuss my application for judicial review of the Minister's decision to cancel my visa, which means I cannot stay in Australia and participate in the Australian Open," Djokovic said in a statement after losing his visa appeal, according to Tennis World.

"I respect the Court's ruling and I will cooperate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from the country. "I'm uncomfortable that the focus of the past weeks has been on me and I hope that we can all now focus on the game and tournament I love, I would like to wish the players, tournament officials, staff, volunteers and fans all the best for the tournament," he added.