Los Angeles (Reuters)
The US Tennis Association and the US Open hope Novak Djokovic will succeed in his bid to enter the country after the Serbian player, who was not vaccinated against COVID-19, applied for a special permit last month.
Djokovic, one of the most prominent athletes not vaccinated against the Corona virus, said last week that he hoped to achieve a positive result soon after applying to enter the United States, to compete in the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments this month.
“Novak Djokovic is one of the greatest champions our sport has ever known,” the US Federation’s Twitter account said last night.
“The US Tennis Association and the US Open hope that Novak will be successful in his petition to enter the country and that fans will be able to see him again in Indian Wells and Miami,” the federation statement added.
It is not expected that the requirement to obtain the vaccine for foreign travelers will be lifted before the start of the Indian Wells Championship next Thursday, and the Miami Open later this month, which means that Djokovic may miss both tournaments for the second year in a row.
US President Joe Biden’s administration said last January that it would lift coronavirus emergency declarations on May 11, but Djokovic – who is on the list of participants in Indian Wells – said he had submitted the documents required to obtain a special permit to enter the country.
Indian Wells tournament director Tommy Haas said in January that it would be a “shame” if Djokovic was not allowed to compete this year, after the Serb also missed last year’s US Open.
The 35-year-old strengthened his record by winning his tenth Australian Open title and 22nd Grand Slam title last January.
