Darren Cahill has offered his thoughts on Novak Djokovic and whether the world number one will make the journey to Melbourne for the Australian Open.
Cahill recently parted ways with Simona Halep, who he used to coach, and is one of the favourites to take over as mentor for talented youngster Emma Raducanu.
He’s still involved in the tour through commentary roles, and he offered a different perspective into Djokovic’s vaccination status, with the tennis star so far refusing to reveal details.
“I’ve got no real read on Novak, personally,” Cahill told SEN’s Dwayne’s World.
“There was a bit of a story going around at the US Open, I think he went off to a concert, I don’t know if he had a special exemption, but to get into that concert you had to be vaccinated, and he did get into that concert.
“There are a number of players, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev … who have come out and said, ‘I’m not going to tell you if I’m vaccinated, you’ll probably work it out by the time whether or not I’m at the Australian Open.’
“I think most players are planning to get it (the vaccine), whether or not Novak does I’m not too sure.”
The event Cahill is referring to was a SummerStage concert, which was held in Central Park after the US Open.
Djokovic has not announced himself as against the vaccine, but has said he will not reveal his status, which many implied to mean he had not been jabbed.
There’s plenty of history on the line for Djokovic at the Australian Open, who has won the event for the last three years running.
The 34-year-old is also attempting to reach 21 Grand Slams, which would put him infront of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who are both on 20.
“I hope he does (come to Melbourne), the Australian Open will be a better tournament if he comes down to defend his title and of course he’s got history on the line as well in trying to win his 21st major,” Cahill said.
“Apparently Federer and Nadal are both going to be there, and there’s so much interest in the women’s side as well.”
Despite the Victorian government’s insistence unvaccinated players will not be welcome at the Australian Open, Cahill is ultimately confident the Serbian will find himself in Melbourne early next year.
“It’s not just Novak, there are some female players who are pretty much against getting the vaccine as well, so whether they decide to get it or not remains to be seen,” he said.
“Novak’s getting a little bit of a bad rap here because all of this is about him, but I think when push comes to shove we’ll see him down at Melbourne playing the Aussie open.”
The state and federal government are currently opposed on the issue of unvaccinated tennis players featuring the in the tournament, with plenty still to play out.