Australian Open 2022: When does the Australian Open start? How to watch the Open and is Novak Djokovic playing

The Australian Open is nearly upon us, with tennis stars from around the world competing to win the title.

Here's everything you need to know about the Australian Open 2022, including the latest update on whether Novak Djokovic will be playing.

When is the Australian Open 2022?

The Australian Open begins on Monday, January 17, 2022, with the finals being held on Sunday, January 30, 2022.

Where is the Australian Open 2022 taking place?

The Australian Open will be taking place at Melbourne Park, which has been hosting the tournament since 1998.

Also known as the 'happy slam,' the tournament is played outside and has a high attendance from spectators, with over 812,000 people attending in 2020.

The 2022 tournament will have reduced capacity due to the pandemic with numbers being limited to 30,000 spectators a day.

How can I watch the Australian Open 2022?

The Australian Open is available to watch on Eurosport 1 (Sky channel 410, BT 435, Virgin 521) and Eurosport 2 (Sky 411, BT 436, Virgin 522).

Why is Novak Djokovic not playing at the Australian Open 2022?

There has been plenty of controversary since Djokovic arrived in Australia for the the Open.

The world number one men's tennis player had his visa for Australia revoked after there were questions regarding his medical exception status.

He was placed in immigration detention after Australian Border Force (ABF) officials said Djokovic had "failed to provide appropriate evidence" for his vaccination medical exception claim.

On January 10, a court reinstated his visa and ordered his release from immigration detention.

However, on Friday evening his visa was once again cancelled as he was deemed a potential risk to "the health, safety or good order of the Australian community".

On Sunday, January 16, after ten days of fighting in the immigration courts, Djokovic left Australia and flew back to Belgrade.

How many times has Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open?

Novak Djokovichas won the Australian Open nine times, winning the title in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

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