(CNN)Novak Djokovic will be able to defend his Wimbledon title this summer after tournament administrators announced that unvaccinated athletes will be allowed to compete at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC).
The world No. 1 was denied entry to the Australian Open in January after his visa was canceled twice owing to his lack of vaccinations, and Djokovic told the BBC earlier this year that if other tournaments needed him to be vaccinated, he was happy to miss out."The government's entry requirements do not include obligatory vaccination," Sally Bolton, the AELTC's chief executive, said to reporters on Tuesday. "As a result, while participation in the Championships is certainly encouraged, it will not be a requirement for entry this year."
Due to the Covid-19 entrance requirements in the United States, Djokovic missed the Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami after his expulsion from Australia.
Last week, the 20-time grand slam champion reached his first final of the year at the Serbian Open, but fell to Andrey Rublev.
READ: Andrey Rublev, a Russian tennis player, calls the Wimbledon ban "illogical" and "discriminatory."
Djokovic is one of the favorites to win Wimbledon, and his chances are bolstered by the absence of Daniil Medvedev and Rublev, two of the top ten's most dangerous players, after tournament officials declared last week that Russian players would not be allowed to compete.
The Serb slammed the decision to exclude Russian and Belarussian players from this year's Wimbledon, calling the decision "insane."
From June 27 to July 10, Wimbledon will be held.
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