Novak Djokovic is out of the upcoming Miami Open, say officials after the U.S. government did not provide him with a waiver due to his vaccination status.
As many know Djokovic was not allowed to play in the Australian Open last year because of his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
That hasn’t changed over the past few months.
“We tried to get Novak Djokovic to be allowed to get an exemption, but that wasn’t able to happen,” tournament director James Blake told the Tennis Channel. “Obviously, we’re one of the premier tournaments in the world. We’d like to have the best players that can play. We did all that we could. We tried to talk to the government, but that’s out of our hands.”
The U.S. government currently bars any unvaccinated foreigners from entry into the country, a policy that is expected to be lifted when the government ends its COVID-19 emergency declarations on May 11.
Yet despite the current situation, there is hope he will be allowed to play in the US Open, which is the last major of the season.
“We are very hopeful that the policy preventing Novak Djokovic from entering the United States will be rescinded, or lapse, in the near future,” the USTA’s Chris Widmaier wrote to AP. “No COVID-19 restrictions are in place at the U.S. Open for any player, fan, or another attendee. Novak, one of our sport’s great champions, would be welcome to compete at the 2023 U.S. Open.”
{ESPN}
