Novak Djokovic said on Monday he hopes the Australian Open goes ahead “for the sake of tennis”, admitting the sport faces a challenging time as it gears up for the 2021 season.
The world number one is playing in the ATP Finals in London at the end of a coronavirus-truncated season but the new campaign is due to start in just seven weeks’ time.
Djokovic, who beat Argentine debutant Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-2 in his opening match at London’s O2 Arena, said he had “not noticed much of a doubt” over whether the tournaments would go ahead.
“I want to play in Australia, Australian Open,” added the Serbian, who is an eight-time winner of the season-opening Grand Slam and the reigning champion.
“I’m not sure about the ATP Cup and the tournaments before, because obviously you have to leave quite in advance, actually, I think two-and-a-half or three weeks prior to the first match.
“So let’s see how that goes. But I'm just hoping for the sake of tennis and sake of players that we will have the Australian Open and also the possibility of the ATP Cup and a couple more tournaments at least.”
The plan for Australia would reportedly involve more than 500 international tennis players arriving in Victoria and undergoing two weeks of mandatory quarantine.
The players, many of whom travel with large entourages, would be restricted to hotels but have access to tennis courts. Once they had completed quarantine and twice tested negative for Covid-19, they would be able to move freely around Victoria.