Novak Djokovic gets his wish as 14-day isolation rule for players travelling from US to Madrid set aside

The restart of the tennis season amid the COVID-19 pandemic has reportedly hit a wall over the last few weeks. After Novak Djokovic's controversial Adria Tour led to multiple players testing positive for COVID-19, American No. 8 Frances Tiafoe also tested positive for the virus during an exhibition tournament in Atlanta, United States.

Many top players have expressed their reservations since then about restarting the tour on the American hardcourts. The likes of Rafael Nadal, Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber have claimed everyone is apprehensive about getting on a plane and travelling to the United States, with the virus still at large.

Novak Djokovic had earlier relayed concerns over the safety restrictions being "too extreme" in New York. More recently, he was reported saying that his presence in New York was conditional upon the relaxation of the mandatory 14-day isolation period on landing from the US into Spain (where the Madrid Masters is set to kick off the day after the US Open final).

The Serb was seen practicing on hard courts during his recent trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, with him and his wife having fully recovered from the novel coronavirus. But it was anybody's guess whether Djokovic was fully committed to participating in the US Open, given the strict safety protocols in place.

Champ @DjokerNole had practiced today at @TipsarevicJanko Academy. 💪💪That return. 😍😍 #NoleFam pic.twitter.com/RsoWFhWwdr

— #AlwaysProudOfNovak (@Slavica_NoleFam) July 11, 2020

It seems, however, that Novak Djokovic has gotten his wish. Spanish daily AS has reported that the Consejo Superior de Deportes (Higher Sports Council) in Spain, at the request of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs, have confirmed that players entering Madrid don't need to self-isolate for 14 days.

Novak Djokovic's reported "condition" to play the US Open has now been met

Novak Djokovic at US Open 2018

The ministry classified tennis players as "highly qualified workers whose work is necessary and cannot be postponed or carried out remotely, including the participants in high level sports events that take place in Spain", who would thus not be required to observe the 14-day isolation period. The exception has already been used for racers in the Moto GP race that took place in the city of Jerez.

This essentially means that players like Novak Djokovic and others taking part in the US Open, i.e. individuals not be coming into Spain from the European Union, the Schengen area or from countries exempt from the temporary restriction of non-essential travel, will be able to land in Madrid and immediately play the Madrid Masters.

However, uncertainty still surrounds the the player entourages - already a bone of contention for Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem - traveling from the US. The coaches, physiotherapists, etc. that some of the top players travel with do not come under these exceptions, and could therefore be expected to self-isolate in Spain.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have both already confirmed their presence in Madrid. In fact, the Spaniard was recently seen training on clay, which raised doubts about his willingness to travel to Flushing Meadows and defend his US Open title.

Así es Feli. Nos vemos en septiembre en Madrid 👋🏻💪🏻👍🏻🎾Mientras tanto que todo vaya bien! 😷 https://t.co/wMP0rKaumE

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) July 7, 2020

Madrid tournament director Feliciano Lopez has now gone one step further and revealed that the authorities are doing their best to have spectators at the Mutua Madrid Open in September.

"We are working on this point with the government of Madrid. We presented our protocols a few days ago. The government was very happy, but also surprised by the rigor of our protocols in terms of security for the fans and especially for the players. We are very confident that we will be able to have a few spectators," Lopez said.