Lorenzo Musetti will be Novak Djokovic’s first opponent of the season.

In his first match after being banned from Australia in January due to his COVID-19 vaccination status, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic will face Italian youth Lorenzo Musetti in the opening round of the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships. Musetti had advanced to the quarterfinals of the Rotterdam Open last week but was defeated in the semi-finals by Jiri Lehecka.

Salah Tahlak, the director of the Dubai event, claimed the organizers were unconcerned with the world number one’s immunization status. “To enter the nation, the government here does not compel anyone to be vaccinated,” Tahlak told Eurosport.

COVID-related limitations are gradually being lifted in the United Arab Emirates. The tennis tournament’s spectators will be obliged to wear face masks and keep social distance, according to the tournament’s website. If Djokovic defeats world number 57 Musetti, he will face either Karen Khachanov of Russia or Alex de Minaur of Australia.

The event begins on Monday and includes top-10 players Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Jannik Sinner. The WTA part of the tournament is followed by the men’s competition, with 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko facing Veronika Kudermetova in the women’s final on Saturday.