Serbian tennis player and former world number one Novak Djokovic announced Thursday that he will not be able to travel to New York to compete in the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the season, which starts next week. He refused to inject the corona vaccine.
Current US law requires travelers to show proof of complete vaccinations on flights before entering the US.
Djokovic wrote on Twitter: “With great sadness, I will not be able to travel to New York this time to participate in the US Open. I wish my players the best. I will try to stay fit and stay positive and wait. According to Reuters, For a chance to get back into the tournament.”
The Serbian player had previously said that he is “ready to miss important tournaments that force the participants to be vaccinated against Corona.”
The 35-year-old Djokovic was on the list of participants in the tournament, which was to be held from August 29 to September 11 in New York.
Djokovic failed to defend his Australian Open title this year after being expelled from the country for his stance on vaccinations against the coronavirus in January.
The US Tennis Association said Djokovic’s “absence is regrettable” and expressed hope that the Serbian will return to Flushing Meadows next year.
“Novak is a great champion and it is very unfortunate that he will not be able to compete in the 2022 US Open because he cannot enter the country due to the government’s vaccination policy,” said US Open director Stacey Alster.
Many hoped to see Djokovic on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows, where he won the title three times and reached the final on six other occasions.
Earlier, retired American tennis player John McEnroe, a four-time US Open winner, told reporters that Djokovic’s absence from the last Grand Slam of the season would be a “joke” because of his stance on vaccination against the coronavirus.
McEnroe explained: “Personally, I would have given the vaccine before the tournament, but Djokovic has very strong beliefs about it and we have to respect that. At this point in the pandemic and two and a half years later, I think people “They’re all over the world. Learn more about the pandemic and the idea that it’s not. If he could travel here to play, it would be a joke.”
However, other players stressed the need to follow the rules.
Madison Keys, the 2017 US Open runner-up, told Reuters: “I respect her personal decision not to vaccinate, but countries also have the right to enforce their own rules.”
Source: Lebanon Debate
