Novak Djokovic has said he will not be able to play hard court tennis tournaments in Indian Wells, California or Miami because he is not vaccinated and cannot travel to the United States.
20 times Grand Slam Champion posted on Wednesday that the Centers for Disease Control “confirmed that the rules won’t change so I won’t be able to play in the US.”
Djokovic, who recently dropped to No. 2 in the ATP rankings, has only played one tournament so far in 2022 because he hasn’t been vaccinated against COVID-19. He was deported from Australia in January and was not allowed to defend his title at Melbourne Park.
Rafael Nadal won the Australian Open for his 21st major trophy, breaking ties with Djokovic and Roger Federer to become the most sought-after man in tennis history.
Djokovic, a 34-year-old Serbian, said in April 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic was raging, that he was against the need for vaccinations before traveling. That June, when professional tennis was on hiatus, he staged a series of exhibition matches in Serbia and Croatia with no rules requiring social distancing or masking – a tour that was canceled after some players, including Djokovic, fell ill with COVID -19.
His name was included in the draw for the BNP Paribas Open in California on Tuesday, although his status was in question as the US required foreign visitors to be vaccinated to enter the country. In addition, it was announced earlier at the tournament that everyone in Indian Wells would need to be fully vaccinated.
“While I was automatically entered into the @BNPPARIBASOPEN and @MiamiOpen raffle,” Djokovic wrote on Wednesday, “I knew it was unlikely that I would be able to travel.”
Indian Wells starts this week; Miami Open kicks off March 21st.
“We knew from the start that Novak’s participation in the Miami Open was critical to his entry into the United States, and we knew it was going to be a long shot,” said James Blake, Miami Tournament Director. “We have an incredibly broad and talented roster of players and we look forward to putting on a great event.”
Chris Widmayer, a spokesman for the US Tennis Association, which hosts the US Open, said the organization would have no comment other than to note that the event is being run according to government guidelines. The American Grand Slam tournament is due to start on August 29th.
It’s been a tumultuous start to 2022 for Djokovic, who went through detention and a court case during the 11-day saga in Australia before being sent home. During the legal wrangling, Djokovic said he had not been vaccinated and thought he should get a medical exemption from the rules requiring vaccinations because, he said, he tested positive for COVID-19 again in December. He also said that he attended a personal interview with a reporter despite this outcome.
In February, Djokovic said in an interview that he would not get vaccinated, even if it was necessary to compete in events such as the French Open or Wimbledon.
On the last day of last month, Djokovic fell out of the No. 1 rankings for the first time in two years, dropping to No. 2 behind Daniil Medvedev. Djokovic’s 361 total weeks at the top of the ATP is a record, as is his seven times he finished a season in first place.
And on March 1, Djokovic announced that he and coach Marian Vajda were separating after 15 years of marriage.
In his only tournament of the year, Djokovic lost to Jiri Veseli in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Championship.
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