Novak Djokovic makes his long-awaited return to competitive action this afternoon as he faces Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The Serbian, who is reported to be the only member of the men’s top 100 still to be unvaccinated, has not played since his dramatic legal case unfolded and he was deported from Australia.
Djokovic broke his silence on the incident last week, claiming he was prepared to miss grand slams in future rather than have a jab. However, such restrictions are not currently in place for Wimbledon and will not impact Djokovic’s participation in Dubai either.
Speaking ahead of this afternoon’s match, Djokovic said: “I am as well prepared as I possibly can be and excited to again be able to tour.
“I did my best to put myself in a good position tennis-wise and mentally as well... I’m really happy to be playing again.”
When is the match and what time will it start?
The match will get underway at around 14.30 UK time on 21 February.
How can I watch it online and on TV?
Full coverage of the tournament will be available on Amazon Prime for UK viewers.
Who else is in the draw?
Aslan Karatsev is the defending champion, while Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jannik Sinner are among the top seeds. Andy Murray is also in the draw after accepting a wildcard.
