Novak Djokovic To Make A Comeback In Dubai Tennis Championship

Djokovic was deported from Australia in January over his Covid-19 vaccination

Novak Djokovic is going to make a comeback in tennis since he was deported from Australia after his Covid-19 vaccination status.

Novak Djokovic will play Italy's Lorenzo Musetti at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The 34-year-old Djokovic, who is unvaccinated, was deported after an 11-day rollercoaster involving two visa cancellations, two court challenges and five nights in two stints at an immigration detention hotel where asylum seekers are held.

Dubai tournament director Salah Tahlak said the organisers had no concerns about the world number one's vaccination status.

"The government here does not require someone to be vaccinated to enter the country," Tahlak told Eurosport.

The United Arab Emirates is gradually lifting COVID-related restrictions. Spectators at the tennis will be required to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, tournament organisers said on their website.

If top seed Djokovic beats world number 57 Musetti, he will face either Russia's Karen Khachanov or Australia's Alex de Minaur.

Djokovic admitted in an interview last week that the “energy and those looks” from his fellow players “really hurt me a lot.”

However, it was a totally different experience for the world No 1 in Dubai the past few days.

“So far here most of the players that I’ve seen have been positive and welcoming,” he said.

“It’s nice to see obviously. I can’t say that was the case in Australia. It was a little bit strange. But here it’s well so far.”

The 34-year-old will take on Lorenzo Musetti in his opening match of the ATP 500 event on Monday and it will be his first match since the Davis Cup Finals in December.

Djokovic revealed that the Dubai entry kept him going during the past few weeks.

“Knowing I was coming to Dubai, I had something to work for, I had a goal,” he said. “So now that I’m here I could say that I am as well-prepared as I possibly can be and I’m excited to, again, be on the tour. That’s all I’m feeling at the moment.”

He added; “Of course there were lots of emotions after I came back from Australia, so I needed a bit of time to reflect and to just mentally rest and then once I was refreshed, I was looking forward to play tennis and compete.”