Novak Djokovic announces he will miss US Open due to Covid vaccination status

AFP via Getty Images
Daniel Keane25 August 2022

Novak Djokovic has announced that he will not be able to attend the US Open tennis championship in New York due to his Covid vaccination status.

The 21-time grand slam champion was hoping the United States would change their rules to allow non-citizens without a coronavirus vaccine to enter the country.

However, that has not happened and Djokovic has withdrawn from the tournament which starts on Monday.

In a tweet on Thursday, the tennis star said: “Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open. Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support. 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!”

Djojovic - who won the men’s singles at Wimbledon this summer - previously said he would rather miss out on the opportunity to compete for more tennis trophies than get the Covid vaccine.

The tennis champion was deported from Australia in January after the government cancelled his visa, citing the fact he had not been vaccinated, meaning he could not compete in the Australian Open.

Following the saga, he told the BBC that if he was unable to compete in other major tournaments it would be a “price I’m willing to pay”.

The Serbian’s absence from the US Open hands Rafael Nadal an advantage as he aims to add to his 22 grand slam titles, while world number one and defending champion Daniil Medvedev also has a smoother path.

The draw for the final grand slam of the year takes place later on Thursday in New York.

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