Not vaccinated against the coronavirus and therefore prohibited from entering the United States, Novak Djokovic announced this Thursday, August 25, his package for the US Open which begins on Monday.
It was a decision expected for several days, but the Serb had decided to fight until the end. Banned from entering American territory because of his refusal to be vaccinated against the coronavirus , Novak Djokovic announced on Thursday that he was withdrawing from the US Open which is due to start on Monday.
“Unfortunately, I will not be able to travel to New York this time for the US Open (…) Good luck to my fellow players! I will keep myself in good shape and in a positive state of mind by waiting to be able to resume competition”, wrote on his Twitter account the Serb who hoped until the last moment for a change in health measures imposing vaccination against Covid-19 for entry into American territory.
It’s not the first time the Serb has had to give up participating in a tournament due to his refusal to get vaccinated. Last January, at the time of the Australian Open, he had been at the heart of an imbroglio which had lasted nearly ten days . First allowed to enter Australian territory thanks to a government exemption, he ended up being expelled after a court decision the day before the start of the tournament.
At 35, the man who was world number one for a very long time, ended up losing his throne and thus fell to 6th ATP rank and should drop further since he will not be able to defend his points in New York.
Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic out of US Open
Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open, Djokovic said on Twitter
Novak Djokovic will not play in the US Open, as expected, because he is not vaccinated against Covid-19 and thus is not allowed to travel to the US. Djokovic announced his withdrawal from the year’s last Grand Slam tournament on Twitter on Thursday, hours before the draw for the event was revealed.
“Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open,” Djokovic wrote, wishing luck to his fellow players, and said he would “keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again.” Play is scheduled to begin at Flushing Meadows on Monday.
Djokovic is a 35-year-old from Serbia who owns 21 major championships, one behind Rafael Nadal for the men’s record. Three of Djokovic’s Slam trophies came at the US Open, in 2011, 2015 and 2018. He also was the runner-up there a half-dozen times, including last season, when his pursuit of the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men’s tennis since 1969 ended with a loss in the final to Daniil Medvedev.
Vaccination rules
Foreign citizens who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 are currently unable to enter the U.S or Canada, and Djokovic has said he won’t get the shots, even if that prevents him from playing in certain tournaments.
The US Tennis Association has said all along it will follow government rules about vaccination status for this year’s Open. There is no vaccine mandate at the tournament for players or their support teams — meaning that an unvaccinated American would be allowed to compete — and spectators will not be required to wear masks.
“Novak is a great champion and it is very unfortunate that he will be unable to compete at the 2022 US Open, as he is unable to enter the country due to the federal government’s vaccination policy for non-US citizens,” said Stacey Allaster, the US Open tournament director. “We look forward to welcoming Novak back at the 2023 US Open.”
Djokovic missed the Australian Open in January after a protracted legal saga ended with his deportation from that country because he isn’t vaccinated against Covid-19. He also sat out four significant tournaments in North America in 2022, including in Montreal and Cincinnati recently.
He did play in the French Open, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Nadal, and at Wimbledon, where Djokovic won the title. After beating Nick Kyrgios in the Wimbledon final on July 10, Djokovic said he “would love” to participate in the last Grand Slam tournament of the year at Flushing Meadows, but he also acknowledged, “I’m not planning to get vaccinated.”
About three weeks later, Djokovic posted on social media that he was holding out hope of getting the chance to play in the US Open, writing: “I am preparing as if I will be allowed to compete, while I await to hear if there is any room for me to travel to US. Fingers crossed!”
Djokovic has spent more weeks at No. 1 than anyone else in the history of the ATP rankings. He is No. 6 this week, in part because no rankings points were awarded at Wimbledon this year. Among the other players who will not be at the US Open for various reasons are No. 2-ranked Alexander Zverev, the 2020 runner-up in New York; 2016 champion Angelique Kerber; 2019 French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova; Gael Monfils and Reilly Opelka.
