Fresh off the back of Rafael Nadal’s historic 21st Grand Slam title win at the Australian Open, attention now turns to the man who dominated the headlines before the tournament began, Novak Djokovic.
The world number one from Serbia divided both the tennis and wider sporting world at the start of the year, as his decision to remain unvaccinated meant that his visa was ultimately revoked by the Australian government, and the defending champion was deported and therefore unable to compete in the Australian Open.
Inevitably, however, with the ATP Tour the show goes on, and Djokovic now finds himself in Dubai preparing for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, which begin in February.
As the world’s number one-ranked player, Djokovic will inevitably be the centre of attention wherever he goes and however he plays, but the intensity has heightened on the Serb in recent weeks, and the general tennis public are desperate to see how he fares in the Dubai sunshine.
Djokovic returns to one of his favourite stomping grounds
For a player with 20 Grand Slam titles to his name and 86 ATP singles titles in his trophy cabinet, there is an argument to say that every tournament that Djokovic plays in is at a ‘favourite stomping ground’.
With five Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship titles to his name, Djokovic has an impeccable playing record at the ATP 500 event – he has played 47, won 41 and lost 6.
As his Australian Open dreams fell apart, Djokovic returned to Dubai – his current residence – and has been pictured practicing in the intervening weeks.
The Serb last won this event back in 2020, when he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final, and only Roger Federer (8) has more Dubai titles than the Serb.
Can Djokovic win a sixth title in Dubai in 2022?
Gauging exactly where Djokovic’s playing level is currently at is difficult, with the Serb having not been in competitive action since the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in Turin, where he reached the semi-finals.
Despite a lack of top-level tennis in recent months, Djokovic is known for his commitment and durability, meaning that a sustained lay-off shouldn’t have too much impact on his overall play in Dubai.
Four other top 10 players are in the field in the Gulf, with the likes of Andrey Rublev, Denis Shapovalov, Jannik Sinner and Félix Auger Aliassime also vying for some silverware in Dubai – meaning that Djokovic will need to bring his A-game if he is to pick up a sixth title in 2022.
Will Djokovic be able to compete at the other Grand Slams in 2022?
With Nadal making history at Melbourne Park and surpassing Djokovic’s Grand Slam haul, attention inevitably turns to whether Djokovic will be able to play at the rest of the majors on the calendar in 2022.
The French Open organisers have stated that unvaccinated players won’t be able to take part in the event at Roland-Garros, with doubts also raised over the eligibility of the same players at both Wimbledon and the US Open later in the year.
