Novak Djokovic schedule: Which tournaments is the Serbian likely to play in 2022?
- Michael Graham
- 21 February 2022
Djokovic's stance on vaccination against Covid-19 will reduce his options this season, as the Australia saga proved, but he should still get to play plenty of tennis in 2022.
Novak Djokovic is finally getting his season underway in Dubai this week after a very public false start in Australia.
His problems in Australia highlighted that he will have fewer options than usual for which tournaments he plays this season. Tennis is probably the most global of sports, and different countries have very different attitudes towards those not vaccinated against Covid-19.
Djokovic says that is a price he is willing to pay, though, so we take a look ahead in the ATP calendar to try to predict the Serbian's 2022 schedule.
'Sunshine double'
The 'Sunshine Double' of Indian Wells and Miami is one of the most prestigious parts of the tennis season, and this year it is back for the first time since 2019.
It was at Indian Wells in 2020 where the Covid-19 caught up with tennis. It was the first high-profile tournament cancelled and soon enough all the rest were too.
Indian Wells was not cancelled in 2021, but it was moved to October and, coming so soon after the US Open, many players opted to rest instead of playing it - including Novak Djokovic.
The Miami Open remained in its usual dates last season, but Djokovic again skipped it.
Now the tournaments are reunited in March as the Sunshine Double, it will be a very big draw for players, and Djokovic's name already appears on the entry list for Indian Wells.
The big question will be over whether or not America will let him into the country. Currently, all foreign adults traveling to the US need to be fully vaccinated, which obviously he is not. It could be further complicated by his deportation from Australia, which many immigration experts believe could be an unerasable black mark against him for now when he comes to apply for a US visa.
Exemptions are available, though, and given his profile and the income he could generate, there is every chance he will be permitted to travel to play both events.
It's worth noting that Djokovic was able to enter American last August to play the US Open when the rules were much stricter, so it's likely he will be able to now as well.
Clay season
Clay season should be a lot easier for Djokovic to manage, and his schedule could be entirely unaffected by his vaccination status.
The first big clay event of the year is the Monte-Carlo Masters on April 10. Djokovic is a resident of Monaco, so playing that should not be a problem at all.
The following week is the Serbia Open in Belgrade. The tournament director is his brother Djordje and the venue is the tennis centre he himself owns, so we can mark that one down as a certainty for the schedule.
Then comes a back-to-back Masters double of Madrid and Rome.
As per current rules, people visiting Spain do not need a vaccine to enter the country but Italy is starting to look a lot more complicated than it initially did.
Last week, Italian Undersecretary for Sport Valentina Vezzali said Djokovic would be welcomed into the country to play. However, since then Undersecretary for Health Andrea Costa publicly contradicted Vezzali's view.
"Anyone who has a large following can and must lead by example," Costa said.
"I am not convinced by the reasons with which Undersecretary [Valentina] Vezzali said that Djokovic will be able to participate in the Internationals of Rome (May 2nd to May 15th), there are rules that must be respected as long as they exist."
"Creating fronts, gates, giving exceptions, we end up giving the wrong messages. a great following, whoever can give us a hand in this work must give a good example all the more reason. So I am against Djokovic's presence at Rome," Costa expressed.
"The current regulations do not provide for the practice of individual, non-contact and outdoor sports, including tennis, the obligation of the super Green Pass.
"There has never been talk of granting an exemption to tennis player Novak Djokovic, but yes it is only reiterated what the current legislation is."
Currently, France would make it difficult for Djokovic to play Roland Garros, but restrictions are almost certain to be relaxed well before the end of May when the tournament takes place.
If Djokovic is unable to play Italy, it is almost certain that won't play for two weeks between Madrid and the French Open.
Grass season
Djokovic played just one tournament on grass last season and he won it, so he won't be fearing not squeezing in a warm-up event first.
That tournament was, of course, Wimbledon, and with Covid restrictions all but coming to a complete end in the UK this Spring, he will have no worries at all about getting in without a vaccine.
Indeed, All England Club Committee member Tim Henman has already publicly stated there is currently no reason at all why Djokovic would not be able to play Wimbledon in 2022.
US Open series
The ATP tournament schedule for the second half of the year is yet to be confirmed, but there are some highlight tournaments we know Djokovic will have his eye on.
The US Open is obviously the big one. That will be taking place between August 29 and September 11 and he will not want to be missing that. Should he play the Sunshine Double, there will be no reason he can't play the US Open either.
There are two Masters events before the US too, and you'd expect him to play at least Cincinnati.
The other is more difficult, as it is the Canadian Masters. Currently, Canada are one of the most cautious countries on the planet when it comes to Covid-19, and all foreigners must be vaccinated to enter the country.
If he can't play Canada, Djokovic may opt for the Washington Open instead which is usually played the week before
Rest of the season
After the US Open, it is likely that Djokovic will only really be interested in two tournaments - the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals in Turin.
Barring any new Covid outbreaks prompting a tightening of restrictions, we will know about his ability to play both events by what happens with Roland Garros and the Rome Masters.
Predicted Novak Djokovic schedule for 2022
March 7-14 - Indian Wells (US)
March 21-28 Miami Open (US)
April 11-18 Monte-Carlo Masters (Monaco)
April 18-25 - Serbia Open (Serbia)
May 2-9 - Madrid Masters (Spain)
May 9-16 - Rome Masters (Italy)
May 23-June 6 - Roland Garros (France)
June 27-July11 - Wimbledon (UK)
N.D - Washinton Open (US)
N.D - Cincinnati Masters (US)
August 29-September 11 - US Open (US)
N.D - Paris Masters (France)
November 13-20 - ATP Finals (Turin)
