Novak Djokovic is still paying the price for his coronavirus vaccine rejection, forced to pull out of the Indian Wells tennis tournament due to travel restrictions in the US.
And tournament organizers announced on Sunday that the world number one Serb would not participate despite his petition to US authorities for special permission to enter the country.
The 35-year-old is still clinging to his vaccine rejection, which will also prevent him from playing in the Miami Masters tournament, just like last year, after the US authorities announced a vaccine extension. vaccine for those who come to the country before April.
Due to these restrictions, Djokovic missed last year’s American tournaments, most notably the Flushing Meadows Championship.
Last week, the US Tennis Association and organizers of the Flushing Meadows supported the Serb’s request to enter the country despite not receiving the vaccine.
“Novak Djokovic is one of the greatest champions our sport has ever known,” the two organizations said in a joint statement. “The U.S. Federation and the U.S. Open hope he gets into the country and the fans can see him.” compete again in Indian Wells and Miami.”
Qualifiers in Indian Wells start today, Monday, the first round kicks off on Wednesday, and the final will take place on the 19th of this month.
The tournament in Miami will be held from March 22 to April 2.
Djokovic, who shares the record for most Grand Slam titles with Spaniard Rafael Nadal (22 each), said last week in Dubai, where his tournament ended in the semi-finals at the hands of Russia’s Daniel Medvedev, that he is still waiting to find out whether the US authorities will give him this permission.
Before suffering his first loss since the beginning of this year, he added: “If the application is rejected, I will of course withdraw from the tournament before the draw,” in which he was replaced by Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, the brief statement said. released by the organizers of Indian Wells.
The Serbian paid dearly for his commitment to vaccinate as he was deported from Australia early last year over the affair and failed to defend the title of the season’s first major championship before returning in 2023. win their tenth title in Melbourne.
Source: AFP
