Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic out of U.S. Open, cannot journey to America

Novak Djokovic won’t play within the U.S. Open, as anticipated, as a result of he isn’t vaccinated towards COVID-19 and thus will not be allowed to journey to america.

“Sadly, I will be unable to journey to NY this time for US Open,” Djokovic wrote, wishing luck to his fellow gamers, and stated he would “maintain in good condition and constructive spirit and watch for a chance to compete once more.”

Play is scheduled to start at Flushing Meadows on Monday.

Djokovic is a 35-year-old from Serbia who owns 21 main championships, one behind Rafael Nadal for the lads’s document. Three of Djokovic’s Slam trophies got here on the U.S. Open, in 2011, 2015 and 2018.

He additionally was the runner-up there a half-dozen instances, together with final season, when his pursuit of the primary calendar-year Grand Slam in males’s tennis since 1969 ended with a loss within the last to Daniil Medvedev.

The U.S. Tennis Affiliation has stated all alongside it’s going to comply with authorities guidelines about vaccination standing for this 12 months’s Open. There isn’t a vaccine mandate on the match for gamers or their help groups — that means that an unvaccinated American could be allowed to compete — and spectators won’t be required to put on masks.

“Novak is a good champion and it is extremely unlucky that he will likely be unable to compete on the 2022 U.S. Open, as he’s unable to enter the nation as a result of federal authorities’s vaccination coverage for non-U.S. residents,” stated Stacey Allaster, the U.S. Open match director. “We stay up for welcoming Novak again on the 2023 U.S. Open.”

Djokovic missed the Australian Open in January after a protracted authorized saga ended along with his deportation from that nation as a result of he is not vaccinated towards COVID-19. He additionally sat out 4 vital tournaments in North America in 2022, together with in Montreal and Cincinnati lately.

He did play within the French Open, the place he misplaced within the quarterfinals to Nadal, and at Wimbledon, the place Djokovic gained the title.

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The highest-seeded star gained his 4th consecutive Wimbledon title by defeating Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3).

After beating Nick Kyrgios within the Wimbledon last on July 10, Djokovic stated he “would love” to take part within the final Grand Slam match of the 12 months at Flushing Meadows, however he additionally acknowledged, “I am not planning to get vaccinated.”

Djokovic has spent extra weeks at No. 1 than anybody else within the historical past of the ATP rankings. He’s No. 6 this week, partially as a result of no rankings factors have been awarded at Wimbledon this 12 months.

Among the many different gamers who won’t be on the U.S. Open for varied causes 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.