World number one Novak Djokovic says he will wait to hear more from Tennis Australia before deciding whether to defend his Australian Open crown.
Djokovic remains on the cusp of creating history, with the Serbian star only needing one more Grand Slam title to overtake Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to be the outright holder of the most major titles in men’s tennis history.
All players will have to be double vaccinated to play in January’s event at Melbourne Park according to the Victorian Government, with Djokovic so far refusing to reveal whether he’s fully vaccinated.
Speaking ahead of the Paris Masters event, the 34-year-old said he wasn’t interested in discussing his participation in the Australian Open until more details were made available.
"Well, I'm going to decide on whether I go to Australia or not after I see the official statement from Tennis Australia," he said.
"Right now, we don't have any official announcement or statement. So until that's out, I won't be talking about this anymore, because I don't want to be part of the stories about the assumptions and what-ifs.
"When official condition requirements to travel to Australia and play in Australia are out, then obviously I'll see what I personally do with that, and also the bigger group of the players, you know, because the situation is obviously different in Australia than most parts of the world."
Djokovic has won the Australian Open nine times, including prevailing in the final earlier this year where he defeated Russian Daniil Medvedev in straight sets.