Sports Djokovic Won't Want To Risk Missing Australian Open - Tiley By AFP News 11/24/21 AT 8:58 PM Video Player is loading. AD Loading ... Nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic won't want to risk missing out on winning a record 21st Grand Slam title, tournament chief Craig Tiley predicted Thursday as a bumper series of lead-up events was announced. All players heading to Australia for the opening major of the year in January must be vaccinated against Covid, casting doubt on whether the Serbian world number one will play. Djokovic, who is gunning for a record-breaking 21st Slam crown, has refused to reveal if he has been inoculated. "He has not shared his status with anyone," Tiley told sports radio station SEN. "He believes that what you say around your medical position is private and he believes people should have the right to choose." Russia's Daniil Medvedev (left) and Andrey Rublev celebrate winning the ATP Cup earlier this year in Melbourne. The 2022 event will be played in Sydney it was announced on Thursday Photo: AFP / William WEST Top Articles READ MORE Cricket Tasmania Slams 'Appalling' Paine Treatment But Tiley added: "Novak has won nine Australian Opens and I'm sure he wants to get to 10. "He's on 20 Grand Slam titles as is Rafa Nadal, who is coming, and Roger Federer, so one of them is going to surpass the other. "I don't think Novak will want to leave that feat to someone else. "One thing is for sure, if he is playing here in January, then he is vaccinated." Djokovic said at the weekend that "we'll have to wait and see" when asked whether he will be at Melbourne Park to defend his title. Currently around 85 percent of players have got the jab and Tiley said he expected that to reach between 95 and 100 percent by January. Russia's Daniil Medvedev (left) and Andrey Rublev celebrate winning the ATP Cup earlier this year in Melbourne. The 2022 event will be played in Sydney it was announced on Thursday Photo: AFP / William WEST "We take a lot of credit for that because we put a vaccination requirement on it (coming to Australia)," he said. His comments came as the season-opening schedule was released after repeated delays as organisers worked out what could be played where as Australia gradually relaxes state and international borders after long Covid lockdowns. All Australian Open lead-up events took place at Melbourne Park this year in bio-secure conditions after players were forced to quarantine in hotels for 14 days. Fully vaccinated players are expected to be able to enter Australia without being quarantined or confined to bubbles in 2022, with Sydney and Adelaide returning to the calendar. Brisbane, Perth and Hobart, which traditionally hold events, miss out for a second year, as does Auckland in New Zealand. "It is not news to anyone that the pandemic, closed borders and varying rates of vaccination created a massive challenge for us and led to the changes specifically for the summer," said Tiley. "It's why we waited as long as possible to secure optimal conditions for the players and fans in as many locations as we could." The men's ATP Cup, won this year by a ruthless Russian team spearheaded by Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, and by Djokovic's Serbia the year before, will kick off the season on January 1 in Sydney. It will be followed the week after by the Sydney Tennis Classic, a combined men's and women's ATP-WTA event. Top-level tennis returns to Adelaide with a fortnight of combined men's and women's competition from January 2. There will also be action in Melbourne with three tournaments -- two WTA and one ATP -- from January 3-9 ahead of the Australian Open starting on January 17. Copyright AFP. All rights reserved. PROMOTED CONTENT Si vous mangez ça avant de dormir, vous perdrez 17 kg en 14 jours Vanefist Neo Just A $200 Investment In Amazon Is Giving Leuven A Second Income Amazon Trader This Young Leuven Family Now Makes $15,800 Per Month With Amazon Amazon Trader MMA News: ONE: Winter Warriors II Card Features Exciting Night Of Fights One Of The Most Powerful Beauty Tools You Already Have At Home Herbeauty The Things This Woman Does With Makeup Will Screw With Your Head Herbeauty Une recette oubliée pour combattre les rides après 40 ans Carattia Cream A Photo Of A Saudi Prince's 80 Hawks On A Plane Goes Viral Red Dragons Media Boxing News: Terence Crawford Vows He Could Be As Big As Canelo Alvarez Too Things You Should Know Before You Start Microblading Herbeauty What BB Cream Can Do For Your Skin Herbeauty C’est le réducteur de rides le plus puissant Carattia Meet Hercules, The Biggest Cat In The World Red Dragons Media 6 Trends To Look Like An Eye-Candy And 6 To Forget About Herbeauty One Of The Most Popular Botanical Gardens Ever Herbeauty JOIN THE DISCUSSION MOST READ 1 Don Jr., Ivanka, Eric Trump May Be Indicted For Dad's Crimes 2 Cleared Of Murder, US Teen Says Case Was Not About Race 3 Apple Sues Israeli Spyware Maker For Targeting Its Users 4 Apple Sues Israeli Spyware Maker For Targeting Its Users 5 Secret, Old Spice Antiperspirant Recalled Over Cancer Risk Get up to Speed with IBT’s Fast Start Stay up to date with our daily newsletter SIGN UP NOW LATEST NEWS Jury Hands Down Murder Convictions In Ahmaud Arbery Trial Most Asian Markets Drop As Data Points To Faster Fed Taper Europe Struggles With Record COVID-19 Outbreak COVID-19 Vaccine Offers 'False Sense Of Security' To Some People: WHO Tesla Faces Sexual Harassment Allegations Social Capital Trail Blazing CEOs Redefining Business Success Kristin Groos Richmond Revolution Foods Revolution Foods’ Commitment To Diversity: Implementing Community Cultures We Serve In All We Do Penny Pennington Edward Jones Penny Pennington Is Committed To Growth – Of Families Mike Brady Greyston Bakery Finding Your 'Hire' Power NEWS Business Technology World National Politics Media & Culture Opinion Sports Luxury FEATURED Social Capital Lexicon Spotlight EMBA Rankings Fintech Startups Top AI Startups & Scaleups IBT Shop Coupons ABOUT About Us Advertise with Us Media Kit Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Cookie Policy EDITIONS Australia India International Singapore United Kingdom United States FOLLOW US Facebook Twitter LinkedIn © Copyright 2021 IBTimes LLC. All Rights Reserved.