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A PREVIEW OF THE 2022 AUSTRALIAN OPEN ✦ Keep score here - ausopen.com
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n the Aussie sports calendar nothing screams summer quite like the Australian Open and the 110th edition of the revered tennis tournament gets underway on January 17th at Melbourne Park.
Whereas it is somewhat unfortunate to start any preview piece with matters off-court, it would be remiss not do so on this occasion as the build up has been dominated by defending champion and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic embroiled in an unsavoury tangle with Australian immigration officials over his personal COVID-19 status. At time of press, Djokovic had been denied a visa for a second time by Australian immigration officials, plunging
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his participation into serious doubt. The Serb’s lawyers claimed they will contest the decision after in an effort to allow him to play after he was drafted into the competition draw although the government seemed to be steadfast in their decision. It has been widely publicised that Djokovic is against forced vaccination and in the lead up to the Aussie Open he refused to reveal whether he had been personally innoculated. The crunch came due to the fact that Australian border control laws stipulate vaccine as essential, with few or no exceptions made.
2020 Australian Open - Day 14 MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 02: Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a forehand during his Men's Singles Final match against Dominic Thiem of Austria on day fourteen of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on February 02, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)
