World number one Novak Djokovic says he will defend his Australian Open title at Melbourne Park this month after receiving a medical exemption from getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

Djokovic, who had declined to reveal his COVID-19 vaccination status, said previously that he was unsure whether he would compete at the Grand Slam due to concerns over Australia's quarantine rules.

"I've spent fantastic quality time with my loved ones over the break and today I'm heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let's go 2022," the Serbian player said on Instagram.

The Australian Open confirmed Djokovic had received a medical exemption in a statement released late on Tuesday night.

Loading

The statement said Djokovic had received the exemption following "a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts."

"One of those was the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel appointed by the Victorian Department of Health. They assessed all applications to see if they met the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) guidelines," the statement read.

The Victorian government released a statement on Tuesday night saying that it had worked closely with Tennis Australia on setting up an "independent and rigorous process to assess requests for medical exemptions at the Australian Open".

"Any player who is granted a medical exemption will have gone through a two-stage, independent process to verify they have a genuine medical condition that meets the criteria for an exemption."  

Doubts raised after Djokovic pulled out of ATP Cup

Djokovic earlier raised doubts over his participation in the year's Australian Open, which starts on January 17, after he pulled out of the Serbia team for the ATP Cup in Sydney last month.

The nine-time Australian Open champion had repeatedly refused to disclose his vaccination status after the Victorian government mandated that only fully vaccinated players — and fans and staff — would be allowed into Melbourne Park.

Djokovic's father Srdjan had told a Serbian television channel that his son would probably pull out of the major, saying Tennis Australia's stance on mandatory jabs was tantamount to "blackmail".

But Djokovic received a reprieve last month when Victorian Premier Dan Andrews and Tennis Australia moved to have an independent panel established to preside over requests for a medical exemption against having the COVID-19 vaccination.

Tennis Australia boss and Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said the panel would consist of doctors from the fields of immunology, infectious disease and general practice.

Applicants that pass the initial stage are subject to a second review conducted by a government-appointed panel, the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel, before the application is submitted to the Australian Immunisation Register.

Due to privacy laws, players who chose to request an exemption were not obliged to reveal so publicly.

In a statement confirming Djokovic's exemption, Tiley said players, fans and staff must be fully vaccinated, unless there was "a genuine reason" why an exemption should be granted.

"Central to this process was that the decisions were made by independent medical experts and that every applicant was given due consideration."

Lack of competitive build-up

Djokovic has won the past three Australian Opens, and is in a three-way tie on 20 majors with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal on the all-time list.

He heads to Australia having trained in Marbella, Spain over the past few days.

Without a match since last year's Davis Cup Finals in early December, he will likely seek a wildcard to contest either next week's Sydney Tennis Classic or the second Adelaide International.

Otherwise, the 34-year-old will launch his assault for a 10th Open crown without any competitive build-up.

ABC/wires

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.

Watch

Duration: 3 minutes 15 seconds3m 15s

Loading form...