Novak Djokovic, the winner of 21 Grand Slam tournaments and according to many the best tennis player of all time, will not play at this year’s US Open as he is unable to enter the United States due to the country’s requirements of vaccine againts Covid-19.
Djokovic announced on social media that he will not be able to play in New York. “Unfortunately, I will not be competing this year in New York. I wish all the players a good tournament. Thank you to my #NoleFam for all the love, support and encouragement. I will continue to keep fit and optimistic and look forward to new competitions. See you soon,” Novak wrote.
Djokovic waited until the last moment for the eventual decision of the US authorities regarding the entry regime for unvaccinated persons. As this has not happened so far, he decided to give up participating in the last Grand Slam of the season.
The organizers of the US Open announced that they regret that Djokovic will not play in New York this year. “Novak is a great champion. It is very unfortunate that he will not be able to compete in the 2022 US Open. He was unable to enter the country due to the federal government’s vaccination rules for non-US citizens. We want Novak to return to the US Open in 2023,” New York tournament director Stacey Allister said.
Fans will have the opportunity to watch Djokovic from 14 to 18 September at the Davis Cup selection match of Serbia. The rivals will be Spain, Canada and South Korea, and the matches will be played in Valencia.