Amid uncertainty regarding his eligibility to participate in this year’s event, Novak Djokovic was included in Thursday’s Australian Open draw. He will face Miomir Kecmanovic as he begins his title defense.
The Australian Open delayed its draw by over an hour on Thursday amid uncertainty over his visa status, which had remained up in the air after his visa was initially canceled and he was barred from entering the country by the Australian Border Force. Reports surfaced that the tennis star had attended public events after testing positive for COVID-19, though he had checked a box stating he had not traveled in the last 14 days despite being seen in Spain and Serbia during the time period, per the Associated Press.