Novak Djokovic now knows he will face fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round of the Australian Open. If he obtains the right to defend his title there.
Djokovic’s visa status received all the attention until the draw for the first major tournament of 2022 took place on Thursday after he was delayed by 75 minutes.
Djokovic was still in doubt after this one.
Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke was still considering deporting the man with nine titles to Melbourne, who is not vaccinated against COVID-19.
The world number one had his visa canceled upon his arrival in Australia last week, when his medical exemption was rejected by border authorities. However, he won his challenge in court, which allowed him to stay in the country.
Hawke has been studying the possibility of deporting Djokovic since last Monday, when a judge revalidated his visa. The tournament will start next Monday.
If he can stay in Australia, Djokovic will look to set a new men’s mark with a 21st Grand Slam title. On his way, he could cross the seeded number 7, Matteo Berrettini, in the quarter-finals and possibly Rafael Nadal or Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals.
Djokovic is tied with Nadal and Roger Federer with 20 Grand Slam titles. He lost in the US Open final to Daniil Medvedev last year.
Medvedev is in the opposite end of the table as the second seed in Australia. Finalist in 2021, he could face local favorite Nick Kyrgios in the second round. In the quarters, he could rub shoulders with number 5 Andrey Rulev, number 9 Félix Auger-Aliassime, or even John Isner in the quarters. Seeded number 4, Stefanos Tsitsipas could be his opponent in the semi-finals.
Auger-Aliasime will start his tournament against the 90th ranked Finn Emil Ruusuvuori. Denis Shapovalov, 14th seed, will start his tournament against the Serbian Laslo Djere, 52nd racket in the world.
On the women’s side, favorite Ashleigh Barty and defending champion Naomi Osaka are slotted into the same portion of the draw, meaning two of the tournament’s best players could find themselves in the fourth round. Maria Sakkari, seeded number 5, or Ons Jabeur, ranked ninth, could wait for them in the quarters.
Osaka, who hasn’t played much in 2021, has slipped in the standings and is the 13th seed in the competition.
In the other half of the table, second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka has a first-round clash with host guest Storm Sanders and could meet Garbine Muguruza in the semi-finals.
Quebec’s Leylah Annie Fernandez, ranked 23rd, will deliver her first match of the tournament against Australian holder of a pass Maddison Inglis, 139th in the world.
Tournament director Craig Tiley declined to answer questions about Djokovic after the draw.
Under the current rules, if Djokovic had to step down before the schedule for Day 1 was announced, Rublev would take his place in the table. If he withdraws once the schedule is published, he would be replaced by a player drafted from qualifying.
If ever Djokovic were to play a game before being kicked out of the country by Australian authorities, his next opponent would then be granted a bypass until the next round.