Unvaccinated Djokovic says he’s out of Indian Wells, Miami

Novak Djokovic has said he will not be able to compete in tough tennis tournaments in Indian Wells, California or Miami because he is not immune and cannot travel to the United States.

20 times grand slam champion Tweet Wednesday That the CDC “confirmed the regulations won’t change, so I won’t be able to play in the US”

Djokovic, who recently slipped to number two in the ATP rankings, has only competed in one tournament so far in 2022 because he hasn’t received any shots to protect against COVID-19. He was deported from Australia in January He was not allowed to try to defend his title at Melbourne Park.

Rafael Nadal ended up winning the 21st Australian Open, breaking the tie with Djokovic and Roger Federer for the greatest player in tennis history.

Djokovic, a 34-year-old from Serbia, said in April 2020, with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, that he opposed the need for a vaccination for travel. In June of that year, with professional tennis on hold, he staged a series of exhibition matches in Serbia and Croatia without rules requiring social distancing or disguise – a tour that was canceled after some players, including Djokovic, contracted the COVID-19 virus.

His name was drawn for the BNP Paribas Open in California on Tuesday, although his status was up in the air because the United States was requiring foreign visitors to be vaccinated to enter the country. In addition, the tournament previously announced that everyone at the Indian Wells site would need a full vaccination.

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On Wednesday, Djokovic wrote: “While I was automatically included in the @BNPPARIBASOPEN and @MiamiOpen lottery, I knew it was highly unlikely I would be able to travel.”

Indian Wells is underway this week; The Miami Open begins on March 21.

“We understood from the start that Novak’s involvement in the Miami Open was crucial when he entered the United States, which we knew was going to be a long way off,” said James Blake, Miami Tournament Director. “We have an incredibly deep and talented player field, and we look forward to hosting a fantastic event.”

Chris Widmaier, a spokesman for the US Tennis Association, which runs the US Open, said the organization would have no comment other than to state that the event follows government guidelines. The US Grand Slam is scheduled to begin on August 29.

It was a turbulent start to 2022 for Djokovic, who underwent detention and a court case during an 11-day saga in Australia before being repatriated. During the legal debate, Djokovic said he had not been vaccinated and thought he should be given a medical exemption from the rules requiring the injection because, he said, he tested positive for COVID-19 back in December. He also said that he attended a personal interview with a reporter despite obtaining this result.

In February, Djokovic said in an interview that he would not be vaccinated, even if he needed to In order to participate in events such as the French Open or Wimbledon.

On the last day of last month, Djokovic was knocked out of the top spot for the first time in two years, relegating to second place behind Daniil Medvedev. Djokovic’s total of 361 weeks at the top of the ATP is a record, as is seven times he finished the season in first place.

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On March 1, Djokovic announced that he and coach Marian Vajda After 15 years together.

In his only tournament of the year, Djokovic lost to Jerry Vesely in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Championships.

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