Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic withdraws from U.S. Open
LA TimesSerbia’s Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the U.S. Open. Novak Djokovic will not play in the U.S. Open, as expected, because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19 and thus is not allowed to travel to the U.S. Djokovic announced his withdrawal from the year’s final Grand Slam tournament on Twitter on Thursday, hours before the draw for the event was revealed. “Novak is a great champion and it is very unfortunate that he will be unable to compete at the 2022 U.S. Open, as he is unable to enter the country due to the federal government’s vaccination policy for non-U.S. citizens,” said Stacey Allaster, the U.S. Open tournament director. “We look forward to welcoming Novak back at the 2023 U.S. Open.” Djokovic missed the Australian Open in January after a protracted legal saga ended with his deportation from that country because he isn’t vaccinated against COVID-19. After beating Nick Kyrgios in the Wimbledon final July 10, Djokovic said he “would love” to participate in the last Grand Slam tournament of the year at Flushing Meadows, but he also acknowledged, “I’m not planning to get vaccinated.” About three weeks later, Djokovic posted on social media that he was holding out hope of getting the chance to play in the U.S. Open, writing, “I am preparing as if I will be allowed to compete, while I await to hear if there is any room for me to travel to US.