The US Open has announced that it will abide with the nation’s law governing travel for unvaccinated foreign nationals, which has hurt Novak Djokovic’s chances of adding another Grand Slam championship to his record of 21 after he won a seventh Wimbledon triumph in London this month.
US Open confirms its travel ban for Unvaccinated players
Djokovic’s divisive anti-vaccination stance has prevented him from participating in a full tournament schedule this year and even contributed to his public exile from Melbourne before the Australian Open.
The Serb will not be permitted to compete in the US Open because they are not permitted to cross the country’s territory, nor will any other unvaccinated players from many other parts of the globe.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) said in a declaration including the rollout of the player lists for the men’s and women’s singles events: “Per ITF Grand Slam rulebook, all qualified players are allowed to register into the men’s. women’s singles main-draw fields predicated on ranking 42 days earlier to the first Monday of the event.” Djokovic is decided to name only as a politeness. The US Open does not have a vaccine requirement in place for competitors, but it will abide by the government’s stance on the entry of unvaccinated foreign nationals.
Djokovic would be considering playing his next Major at the 2023 French Open if the United States and Australia’s restrictions on allowing unvaccinated persons into their nations are not relaxed.
A petition urging the body to permit the 35-year-old to compete in the American Major was posted on change.org in June. The petition, which aims to gather 25,000 signatures, gained a lot of traction after the USTA’s statement and currently has 22,000 signatures.
In the chase for the most Grand Slam titles, the World No. 7 has already fallen behind opponent Rafael Nadal, who won the Australian Open without him and beat him en way to his 14th French Open victory. In New York, Nadal, whose total is 22, may extend his lead even further.