Massive Boost for Novak Djokovic as Italian Sports Minister Releases a Statement

Published 02/18/2022, 8:47 AM EST

2022 has been an eventful year for the 20-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic, to say the least. After his deportation from Australia, Djokovic hasn’t played a single match on the tour this year. Meanwhile, he recently announced that he will not take the Covid vaccine, if it means missing out on more Grand Slam events.

The Serb’s decision to not take the vaccine could be a big blow for him and tennis. It’s because most tournaments now require a vaccine mandate for the participants. Wimbledon and the French Open are no different, as they have also applied the same rule for players. Meanwhile, there is good news for Djokovic about taking part in an important tournament.

We will probably see Novak Djokovic in Rome

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5-time Rome Masters 1000 winner, Novak Djokovic has a pretty good record in Rome. Last year, the Serb lost to his long-time rival Rafael Nadal by 5-7,6-1,3-6 in a tough match. This year, it looked like Djokovic will not take any part in it, as he didn’t take the vaccine. However, after a recent announcement by the Italian Sports Minister Valentina Vezzali, Djokovic will have the chance to compete in Rome.

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Vezzali said, “It’s an outdoor sport and the tighter green pass is not required, so if he wants to come he will be able to do so. Maybe without visiting hotels & restaurants.”

Italian Sports Minister Valentina Vezzali said Novak Djokovic will be allowed to play Rome Masters 1000: "It's an outdoor sport and the tighter green pass is not required, so if he wants to come he will be able to do so. Maybe without visiting hotels & restaurants." (via Libero)
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) February 18, 2022

Notably, the tournament in Rome will start on May 2, a few weeks before the French Open.

Djokovic will play his first tournament in Dubai

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On February 21 in Dubai Tennis Championships, Djokovic will begin his first tournament of 2022. Surely, Djokovic is raring to go and win the tournament in Dubai. However, this could turn out to be a tough year for Djokovic. After Dubai, the next tournament for the World no.1 is still pretty unclear.

That’s why the news about Rome will definitely bring some joy to the Serbian. Although Novak got a free pass to play in Rome, he will probably lose his no.1 ranking if he plays fewer tournaments.

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Can Novak win in Rome? Let us know in the comments.

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Debkinkar Maity is a Tennis Author at EssentiallySports. His desire to become a sports journalist inspired him to take up a degree in journalism and mass communication, and he hasn't looked back ever since. Following the sport for over a decade now, Debkinkar has an ardent love for Roger Federer.

Massive Boost for Novak Djokovic as Italian Sports Minister Releases a Statement

We will probably see Novak Djokovic in Rome

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Djokovic will play his first tournament in Dubai