Djokovic has won three Australian Open singles titles since switching to the elite ATP Tour in 2008
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has been told he may need to be vaccinated against a virus to play at the Australian Open next year.
He will be absent from the 2017 event after undergoing surgery on his right elbow in July.
The World No 3 plays Roger Federer in the US Open final on Monday.
Djokovic, 29, is struggling to recover and could miss the rest of the year, International Tennis Federation (ITF) chief David Haggerty said.
“I would think he will not be able to play the Australian Open,” said Haggerty in an interview with Tennis Weekly.
Djokovic has won three Australian Open singles titles since switching to the elite ATP Tour in 2008.
“I can’t guarantee he’ll play,” said Haggerty. “There are a lot of concerns about it.
“Could he play? He might need to be vaccinated. We would need to find out how severe this is.”