Tennis Feature: From Vaccine disputes to player suspensions and injuries, 2022 was a strange year for the ATP Tour

The year began with Novak Djokovic sparking an uproar over getting a vaccine exemption for the Australian Open, and then getting deported – and suing the Australian government. 

The year ended with the crowning of a 19 year old, Carlos Alcaraz, as the world's number one, while also seeing the retirement of one of the sport’s all-time greats, Roger Federer. 

We saw player bans, the stripping away of ranking points, and injuries wreaking havoc on the Grand Slam schedule. 

Here, we look at the significant disruptions men’s tennis had to deal with in 2022. 

Djokovic gets an exemption, or does he? 

When Novak Djokovic announced his plans to come to Australia and defend his Australian Open title, there was speculation surrounding how he received an exemption to enter the country.

Djokovic has not received the COVID-19 vaccine, and his anti-vax stance made him a figure of admiration and ridicule among many. However, the worst was somehow yet to come.

The Australian authorities found inconsistencies in his application, leading to the genuinely absurd sight of a multi-time Grand Slam tennis champion detained in immigration jail.

He eventually was not allowed to defend his title and was deported from Australia, but he did not leave before suing the country in court. 

Rafael Nadal won the Grand Slam, having come back from two sets down. Nothing unusual there, then.

Injuries, injuries everywhere

The French Open saw no significant controversies, mainly because the French government adopted different policies for the Australians regarding vaccination. 

Rafael Nadal ended up winning the tournament – again. So far, so good, right? However, the game saw the start of a massive injury bug that affected other top-seated players down the line.

The young German player Alexander Zverev picked up a severe ankle injury that needed surgery and ended his participation in the 2022 season. The fact that it came against Nadal in the knockout stage offered no consolation. 

Unfortunately, things would get worse from there on.

Wimbledon bans Russians, no ranking points and more injuries 

Wimbledon took the controversial call to unilaterally ban players of Russian and Belarusian nationalities from participating in the tournament. 

Despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ATP and the WTA had not banned Russian players. They would compete under a neutral flag.

This made Wimbledon's decision even more unusual. Worse, it made the ATP and the WTA strip ranking points from the tournament. 

That didn’t take much away from the tennis action, but it did knock the rankings. Djokovic won his first Grand Slam of the year, but it did nothing for his rankings.

Worse, the injury bug got to Nadal. He gutted it out, clearly in pain from having gone through the French Open using painkillers. But in the end, he withdrew from the semis, giving Nick Kyrgios an unlikely maiden Slam final. 

Nadal would come back to play in the US Open but lost in the fourth round to Frances Tiafoe.

Federer bids adieu 

The biggest shock of all came not in any Grand Slam result but thanks to a social media post. Through this, Roger Federer confirmed his retirement from the game. 

It was clear that Federer's dominance was waning. He hadn’t played competitive tennis since the 2021 Wimbledon quarterfinal. and also had to undergo three knee surgeries in a year.

However, that did not make the announcement any less painful. The fact that Federer’s last match will come in the Laver Cup – a tournament he played a crucial part in starting, but one that’s hardly a prestigious tournament – best sums up how strange a year it was.