“Policies concerning access to the United States are
determined by the White House. We are very hopeful that the policy preventing
Novak Djokovic from entering the United States will be rescinded, or lapse, in
the near future,” the USTA’s Chris Widmaier wrote to The Associated Press. “No
COVID-19 restrictions are in place at the U.S. Open for any player, fan or
other attendee. Novak, one of our sport’s great champions, would be welcome to
compete at the 2023 U.S. Open.”
The two-week U.S. Open starts in Flushing Meadows on Aug.
28.
Djokovic, a 35-year-old from Serbia, was unable to get to
New York for the season’s last Grand Slam tournament in 2022, when he also
missed the Miami Open and BNP Paribas Open because he never got the shots for
the illness caused by the coronavirus.
A six-time Miami Open champion, Djokovic is out of the field
for the event that begins next week, a spokesman for the Miami Open said
Saturday.
Djokovic is No. 1 in the ATP rankings and is tied with
Rafael Nadal — who is injured and also won’t be in Miami — at 22 Grand Slam
titles, the record for most won by a man. In 2023, Djokovic is 15-1 with two
titles, including at the Australian Open in January.
But he will now have missed the first two Masters 1000
events of the season. He also pulled out of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian
Wells, California, which ends this weekend.
Back in in April 2020, as the pandemic raged, Djokovic said
he was opposed to needing to be vaccinated to travel. He later said he would
not get inoculated even if it meant missing tournaments.
In January 2022, he tried to get an exemption to compete at
the Australian Open and traveled to Melbourne. But after his case went to
court, his visa was revoked and Djokovic was deported from the country.
Pandemic restrictions have been eased in Australia since,
and Djokovic returned this year without a problem and won the season’s first
major championship.
Meanwhile, Nadal has been sidelined since hurting his left
hip flexor during a second-round loss at Melbourne Park. He is aiming to return
to action at the Monte Carlo Masters next month.
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