Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic will NOT play the US Open

Tennis officials confirmed Novak Djokovic will NOT compete in the U.S. Open unless he gets vaccinated.

The COVID-19 saga is not yet over for Novak Djokovic, as tennis officials have stated that the renowned player would NOT compete in the forthcoming Grand Slam event, the United States Open, unless he receives a vaccination.

The 35-year-old Serbian tennis player won’t be on the court in Flushing Meadows, Queens since the United States now prohibits entry of non-citizens who are not vaccinated against the virus.

Tennis fans had hoped that something would be done to allow Novak to participate, but on Wednesday, officials put an end to that hope.

The US Open stated that it did not have a mandatory vaccination policy for athletes, but it would follow the US government’s stance on the entry of unvaccinated foreign nationals.

For the same reason, Djokovic was not allowed to compete in the Australian Open, where he had previously won the U.S. Open three times.

That narrative quickly rose to prominence as one of the most significant and divisive in the field of sports.

Although it won’t begin until the 29th of August, Djokovic technically still has time to land a blow before the tournament begins.

But right after he beat Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon (his 7th win), Novak reaffirmed his anti-vax stance, in case anyone thought he had changed his mind with the Open coming up.

ESPN says that Djokovic said, “I’m not vaccinated, and I don’t plan to get vaccinated.”

Djokovic, on the other hand, stayed hopeful that the US policy on the COVID vaccine could change before the tournament.

The bad news for ND is that it does not appear as though that will occur… and this is a significant setback for Novak because he is only one Grand Slam victory behind Rafael Nadal for the all-time lead in Grand Slam titles.