Melbourne [Australia], November 20 (ANI): World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic along with all players will only be allowed to take the field in 2022 Australian Open if they have received the COVID-19 vaccination.

Djokovic in recent times has declined to disclose whether he has received the COVID-19 vaccine or not and Craig Tiley, the Australian Open Tournament Director on Saturday said the Serbian tennis star knows he needs to be vaccinated to take part in the showpiece event.

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"We would love to have Novak here, he knows that he'll have to be vaccinated to play here," Skysports quoted Tiley as saying.

Victoria state sports minister Martin Pakula on Saturday said that due to the vaccination effort undertaken by the people, the Australian Open will welcome crowds for the upcoming Grand Slam.

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"The amazing vaccination effort that Victorians have undertaken will mean that all of our stadiums, @RodLaverArena, Margaret Court, John Cain, and the new show court will be full to capacity throughout the #AusOpen," Pakula said in a tweet as per Australian Open.

According to the Australian Open, crowds are expected to flock to Melbourne Park in January and will be treated to a full Grand Slam program, including two weeks of lead-in tournaments, the return of Australian Open Qualifying and the Australian Open Junior Championships. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)