World No 1 Novak Djokovic will face Italian teenager Lorenzo Musetti in the first round of the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships in his first match since he was deported from Australia in January over his COVID-19 vaccination status. Musetti had reached the quarter finals of the Rotterdam Open last week, losing out to Jiri Lehecka for a place in the semi-finals.

Dubai tournament director Salah Tahlak said the organisers had no concerns about the world number one’s vaccination status. “The government here does not require someone to be vaccinated to enter the country,” Tahlak told Eurosport.

The United Arab Emirates is gradually lifting COVID-related restrictions. Spectators at the tennis tournament will be required to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, tournament organisers said on their website. If top seed Djokovic beats world number 57 Musetti, he will face either Russia’s Karen Khachanov or Australia’s Alex de Minaur.

The tournament, which also features top-10 players Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jannik Sinner, starts on Monday. The men’s competition follows the WTA portion of the tournament, with 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko taking on Veronika Kudermetova in Saturday’s women’s final.