US Open organisers have confirmed that, as of now, Novak Djokovic’s vaccination status will rule him out of the event.
Novak Djokovic vaccination status rules him out
Novak Djokovic’s hopes of playing at Flushing Meadows have suffered a big blow. The event organizers have confirmed that they must respect the United States government rules on the COVID-19 vaccinations.
America requires all non US citizens to be fully vaccinated to enter the country. Djokovic has made no secret of the fact that he is not vaccinated, and will not take the vaccine. As a result of this, the Serbian will not be allowed entry to the USA.
Banned from entry
Due to the US rules, this will mean that just like in Australia, Djokovic will be refused entry to the country. There are no exemptions in the USA. This leaves the Serbian without the opportunity to play in any build up event as well as the Grand Slam itself.
In a statement from the event given to the press, they said “Per the Grand Slam Rule Book, all eligible players are automatically entered into the men’s and women’s singles main draw fields based on ranking 42 days prior to the first Monday of the event. The US Open does not have a vaccination mandate in place for players, but it will respect the US government’s position regarding travel into the country for unvaccinated non-US citizens.”
Due to this Djokovic is very unlikely to be in New York. The Serbian would be automatically refused entry to the country. Therefore, it is not worth Djokovic boarding a plane. The Serbian will want to avoid a repeat of the saga that unfolded around the Australian Open.
No exemption, no entry. The U.S. government has made this very clear. Djokovic cannot enter America unless fully vaccinated. Now Djokovic must either receive a vaccine (he is running out of time to complete a full two-dose sequence, but he can receive the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine) or hope the United States rescinds its vaccination rule for non-citizens before September.
It looks based on this that Novak Djokovic will miss the US Open and will not be able to increase his Grand Slam tally further this year.
Main Photo from Getty.
