Novak Djokovic has been listed as an entrant in the ATP Dubai tennis event.
Many wondered when the Serbian would next grace the court following the visa debacle in Australia, but his return is set to be as early as next month.
The Serbian last played the event in 2020 and went on to win the tournament for the fifth time, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.
The 34-year-old has not spoken publicly since returning to Serbia after being denied the opportunity to compete at the Australian Open.
He has recently been photographed on a trip to Montenegro.
Currently, players do not have to be vaccinated in order to participate at the Dubai Open, which commences on February 21.
The tournament comes at an ideal time for Djokovic, given he has missed the first grand slam of the year and could possibly be absent for the Indian Wells and Miami Masters 1000 events in March if he remains unvaccinated.
As reported last week, in order to avoid the kind of confusion seen in Australia regarding the world number one’s visa and unvaccinated status, other tournaments are expected to make vaccines compulsory in order to play.
However, if the 34-year-old is allowed to play in some tournaments, he is likely to be barred from the players areas and other on-site facilities.
For example in a series of ongoing challenger events in Italy, the unvaccinated are allowed to participate, providing they produce a negative Covid test every 48 hours.
However, according to an official document, they are barred from using "any tournament facilities (locker rooms, gym, on-site cafes etc), restaurants or hotels.’"
It also reads: “Unvaccinated PSTs (Player Support Teams) will be permitted on-site only if they are a coach.
“Please note partners or family members will not be allowed to enter the tournament site.”
The Serbian was unable to compete for a tenth title and record 21st grand slam crown at Melbourne Park this year, but he may be back as early as next year.
Following his deportation there were reports which suggested Djokovic would be prohibited from entering Australia for as long as three years.
But according to the tournament director Craig Tiley, he expects the nine-time Australian Open winner to be back in 12 month's time.
“Yes. Obviously, he's got to play out this year, but that will be his intention. At the end of the day, he's the no 1 player in the world and he really loves the Australian Open," he told reporters.
"But it’s really important to note that there’s no person, there’s no organisation that is bigger than the event itself.”
However, Tiley's latest comments appear to contradict those of the Australian Government, who have already stated that any future visa application from Djokovic will be assessed “on its merits."
