Following the lifting of the Serbian visa ban, organizers announced Wednesday that returning Novak Djokovic will start his quest for a 10th Australian Open title at the Adelaide International.
The world No. 5 missed the opening Grand Slam of 2022 when he was deported over his vaccine status after a high-stakes legal battle.
Australia has since lifted the requirement for visitors to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, and his three-year ban was overturned by the government in November.
Djokovic said he considered this at the time a "relief."
"The Australian Open has been my most successful Grand Slam," he added. "I made some of the best memories there."
Djokovic will face a strong field from Jan. 1-8 that also features Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, and Andrey Rublev, ranked six, seven and eight, respectively, along with two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray.
His longtime-rival Rafael Nadal, the defending Australian Open champion, will instead use the United Cup, a new mixed teams event in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney, as his warm-up to the Grand Slam.
Four of the world's top 10 women will begin the year in Adelaide, with second-ranked Ons Jabeur, world number five Aryna Sabalenka, world number eight Daria Kasatkina, and world number nine Veronika Kudermetova all entered.
The field also includes two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and Grand Slam winners Bianca Andreescu and Jelena Ostapenko.
"We are thrilled to confirm such a world-class lineup for week one of the Adelaide International," tournament director Alistair MacDonald said in announcing the lineup for the ATP-WTA event.
The Australian Open takes place at Melbourne Park from Jan. 16-29.
