The Serbian player was banned from participation at the first Grand Slam of the season, the Australian Open, a tournament that he has won a record 9 times. To make things even worse for him, Djokovic was taken into custody after landing in Melbourne and finally deported.
Djokovic was keen to play in Melbourne hoping to win his 21st Grand Slam title but with him banned from the tournament, Rafael Nadal used the opportunity to do exactly that and now with 21 majors is ahead of Djokovic and Roger Federer who have 20 titles each.
To make things even worse for Djokovic, he has recently lost the no. 1 spot at the ATP rankings to Daniil Medvedev. The Russian who defeated Djokovic at the last year’s US Open is the first player from the new generation who reached the top of the rankings.
Djokovic also missed the first two ATP Masters tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami since he was not allowed to play in the United States as well.
As the season progress, the main question is if the Serbian will be allowed to play at the second Grand Slam – the French Open. There were many rumors on the subject but the fact is that Djokovic will be allowed to defend his title at the Roland Garros.
As things are at the moment, Djokovic doesn't have to worry about Roland Garros. Amelie Mauresmo, the director of the French Open and former WTA no. 1, pointed out that Djokovic has been given a green light to play at the tournament.
“As things stand now, nothing stands in the way of Novak Djokovic to defend the title in Paris,” said Mauresmo at a press conference.
“Our goal is to have the best players in the draw. We try to be calm and neutral. We try to prepare as well as possible for the tournament, as much as we can,” added Mauresmo.
The tournament in the French capital will start on May 16 and by then it is expected the vaccination not to be mandatory anymore. Djokovic has played only in Dubai this season without making any success since he lost in the third round to Jiri Vesely. The next tournament Djokovic will play is in Monte Carlo at the beginning of April. His participation there will definitely make all things clear regarding the Roland Garros since Monaco and France have the same Covid-19 protocols.
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