Djokovic lands in Serbia as questions arise over French Open

By DARKO BANDIC and DUSAN STOJANOVIC
Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Novak Djokovic has returned home after being thwarted from defending his Australian Open title only to face a new predicament: He could be barred from the French Open this year, too, if he’s still not vaccinated against COVID-19. A plane carrying the No. 1-ranked player touched down in his native Serbia on Monday. That closed at least the first chapter in a dizzying drama that has resonance in the world of elite sports, Australian pandemic politics and the polarized debate over the coronavirus shots. But his troubles may not be over yet: He could be barred from the French Open this year, under a new law intended to exclude the unvaccinated from stadiums and other public places.