Novak Djokovic barred from US, cannot play in Indian Wells, or Miami, over refusal to get Covid-19 jab
- Serbian had been entered into draw for this week’s BNP Paribas Open and was handed first round bye
- But non-citizens are not allowed to enter the United States unless they are fully vaccinated
Novak Djokovic cannot compete at the hard-court tennis tournaments in Indian Wells, California, or Miami because he is unvaccinated and can’t travel to the United States.
The 20-time grand slam champion tweeted on Thursday that the Centres for Disease Control “confirmed the regulations won’t be changing so I won’t be able to play in the US”.
Djokovic, who recently dropped to No 2 in the world, has played in only one tournament so far in 2022 because he has refused to get a Covid-19 vaccination. He was deported from Australia in January and was not allowed to try to defend his title at Melbourne Park.
Rafael Nadal wound up winning the Australian Open for his 21st major trophy, breaking a tie with Djokovic and Roger Federer for the most claimed by a man in the history of tennis.
In April 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic raged, Djokovic said he was opposed to needing to be vaccinated to travel. In June of that year, with professional tennis on hiatus, he organised a series of exhibition matches in Serbia and Croatia with no rules requiring social distancing or masking — a tour that was called off after some players, including the 34-year-old Serbian, got Covid-19.
His name was put in the draw for the BNP Paribas Open in California on Wednesday, even though his status was up in the air because the US has been requiring foreign visitors to be vaccinated to enter the country. In addition, the tournament had previously announced that everyone on-site at Indian Wells would need to be fully inoculated.
“While I was automatically listed in the @BNPPARIBASOPEN and @MiamiOpen draw,” Djokovic wrote on Wednesday. “I knew it would be unlikely I’d be able to travel.”
