The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters celebrates its 125th anniversary in April.
Monte-Carlo resident Novak Djokovic will miss the party and be shutout of his home tournament if he remains unvaccinated.
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World No. 1 Djokovic, who often rides his bike from his Monte-Carlo home to the the Monte-Carlo Country Club for practice and matches, will only be able to compete in Monte-Carlo if he meets French government requirements, Monte-Carlo Tournament Director Zeljko Franulovic announced.
"If you are in order regarding the sanitary conditions required by the French Government we will be happy to receive you," Franulovic told the media in Monte-Carlo. "It has to be in order. At the moment, as far as I know, he is not vaccinated."
The 2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters was played behind closed doors last spring with Stefanos Tsitsipas capturing his first Monte-Carlo crown.
This year, Monte-Carlo, set for April 9-17th, will reopen for fans to attend.
Will two-time champion Djokovic be there?
"[It] will depend on him," Franulovic said, adding "To enter France the first rule is to be vaccinated. The ATP protocol also offers the possibility of delivering a certificate of contagion one month before the start of the competition."
The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final entry list closes on March 14th with the draw set for April 8th.
Djokovic is scheduled to make his 2022 ATP season debut at this month's Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship later this month. Vaccination is not required to play Dubai.
"Novak has already planned to play in Dubai, which is of course good news," said ATP President Andrea Gaudenzi. "We want to see Novak happy and healthy, and we want to see him play.
"We want the best players for the best tournaments and the one in Monte-Carlo is one of them. This is one of the most important events on the calendar. Luckily, we will find full stands. We hope to leave Covid behind as soon as possible. Honestly, we hear good news. We may see the end tunnel. We are moving in the right direction to leave this terrible pandemic behind."
Though Djokovic was unvaccinated when he was deported from Australia last month, his biographer, Daniel Mücksch, believes the 34-year-old Serbian will get vaccinated so he can resume competing on the pro circuit and chase down rival Rafael Nadal's men's record of 21 Grand Slam titles.
"What you hear from his environment, I believe that he can be vaccinated," Mücksch told ServusTV in comments published by Blick. “Perhaps the final in Melbourne also contributed to that. Rafael Nadal's 21 is what drives him, no question about it."
Twenty-time Grand Slam Djokovic said he will make an announcement in the coming days detailing what he experienced in Australia when his visa was twice cancelled.
Photo credit: Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters Facebook