Novak Djokovic has been denied entry to the USA to compete at the US Open in another blow to his anti-vaccination stance.
The Serbian tennis star has refused to be vaccinated against Covid and is ineligible to enter the country for the tournament due to current restrictions in the USA. He confirmed he would not be taking part in this year’s US Open, which gets underway next week, in a social media post on Thursday afternoon.
“Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open,” wrote the 21-time Grand Slam champion on Twitter.
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“Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support. Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again. See you soon tennis world!”
Djokovic has remained determined in his stance against getting vaccinated against Covid, despite multiple tennis tournaments and host countries requiring a vaccine in order to enter.
He missed out on defending his Australian Open title back in January after being deported on the eve of the event due to his vaccination status.
Meanwhile, he has also been forced to set out a string of events in North America over the last year, included tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati earlier this month.
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(Image: Getty Images)
Current immigration laws prevent unvaccinated foreign citizens from entering the USA or Canada, denying Djokovic entry to both countries as a result.
However, Djokovic was able to compete at both the French Open and Wimbledon this year, due to differing laws in France and the United Kingdom.
After reaching the last eight in Paris, Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios in the final at Wimbledon in June to claim his 21st Grand Slam title.
The news of Djokovic’s absence from this year’s US Open comes on the eve of the main draw being made for the tournament, with players set to learn their route to glory on Thursday.
With Djokovic denied entry to the tournament, reigning champion Daniil Medvedev will be seeded first in the men’s singles ahead of number two seed Rafael Nadal.
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