Serbian Novak Djokovic will not be able to fly to New York for the upcoming US Open as he remains to be unvaccinated against Covid-19 while the US requires non-citizens to be vaccinated to enter their country.
Twenty-one time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic will again miss another competition as he announced on Twitter his absence from the upcoming US Open as he remains to be to be unvaccinated against Covid-19.
Djokovic is unable to travel to New York for the tournament as the current US mandate is that any non-US citizen must be fully vaccinated against the virus in order to receive a visa and enter the country.
“Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open,” Djokovic wrote on Twitter.
“Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again. See you soon tennis world!"
The US Open released a statement through Stacy Allaster, the tournament director, saying: "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.”
Djokovic, despite being unvaccinated last year, played at the US Open and even made it to the finals of the men’s singles as although the virus was a greater public health risk at the time, the US only required testing and not a vaccination for itsentry requirement.
"We look forward to welcoming Novak back at the 2023 US Open."
The statement also added that due to Djokovic not being able to fly out, a “lucky loser” from the qualifiers will be included in the draw.
With this development, the hashtag #LetNovakPlay has been circulating on social media as fans are very much eager to see the Serbian play as he nears the record of Spaniard Rafa Nadal’s 22 Grand Slam titles after his Wimbledon triumph last month.
Tags: #USOpen, #tennis, #grandslam