Novak Djokovic will return to the ATP Tour at the Dubai Tennis Championships next month.
Following the explosive saga surrounding the world No 1's bid to play in the Australian Open, he is eligible to play in the event on February 21 irrespective of his vaccination status.
The Serbian was sensationally denied a chance to defend his title at Melbourne Park this month, despite initially announcing he had been given a medical exemption to compete at Melbourne Park.
However, upon his arrival in Victoria, he had his visa revoked by border force officials, although subsequently won a legal appeal against being deported.
The country's immigration minister, Adam Hawke, then cancelled his visa for a second time, and despite another appeal, the 34-year-old was deported and flew home just a day before the tournament began.
Current travel rules to Dubai mean Djokovic can enter the country providing he has produced a negative PCR test within 72 hours of flying, and it appears tournament chief Colm McLoughlin is excited by his potential involvement.
McLoughlin, executive vice-chairman and chief executive of Dubai Duty Free, told the Daily Mail : "We are delighted to see Novak back in Dubai for the 12th time when he will be seeking his sixth title, and we wish him the best of luck."
Despite the strict rules imposed for the Australian Open, the ATP Tour has thus far resisted the notion that vaccines should be mandatory to compete.
However, if Djokovic persists with his 'anti-vax' stance, he is likely to miss the Masters level events at Indian Wells and Miami in March.
And the 20-time Grand Slam winner, who before being deported from Australia admitted to flouting isolation rules after testing positive for Covid-19 in December - and also had to explain why his immigration forms were submitted with false information - could now be in hot water again.
His original exemption for the Melbourne tournament was granted on the basis of his positive December 16 test, although doubts have now been cast over the legitimacy of that result.
According to a report by the BBC , the serial number on his test appears out of sequence with a sample of tests from Serbia over that particular period.
Djokovic and his representatives have declined to comment on the findings.
