Corona
Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic is fighting for tournament participation in the USA
Because the USA will only allow people without a Covid 19 vaccination to enter the country from May, the unvaccinated Novak Djokovic tries everything. so he can compete in the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments in March.
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Djokovic recently celebrated exuberantly in his home country.
(Video: Instagram/sport.klub)
Novak Djokovic is keen to take part in the tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami.
Because entry for the unvaccinated will not be possible until May, he applied for a special permit.
Tennis icons John McEnroe and Tommy Haas are publicly supporting the Serbs.
In a celebratory mood, Novak Djokovic presented his singing skills at a karaoke concert with his family a few days ago in his home country. However, a few weeks before the tournaments in Indian Wells (from March 8th) and Miami (from March 22nd) the still unclear entry permit to the USA should dampen the Serb’s good mood a little.
Because the US government does not want to allow people without a corona vaccination to enter the country again until May 11th, the unvaccinated Djokovic threatens to miss the “Sunshine Double” in the States. The tennis superstar commented on this at a media conference in Belgrade on Wednesday.
Tournament boss demands special permission
Everything is still in the process at the moment, explained the Serb, who applied for a special permit to enter the USA. “The tournament directors want to see me play there, I’m optimistic too, but it’s not in my hands,” continued the 35-year-old.
In fact, Indian Wells’ tournament boss Tommy Haas is publicly campaigning for the Djoker. “In my opinion, it would be a shame if he didn’t come to these events or wasn’t allowed to come,” the German ex-professional unequivocally states.
US icon John McEnroe (right) publicly defends Djokovic.
IMAGO/USA TODAY Network
Tennis icon John McEnroe blows the same horn as Haas. The American and today’s TV expert sharply criticizes the behavior of the American authorities. It was “absurd” and “a damn shame” if Djokovic didn’t get a special permit for entry. As of now, the Serb is on the entry list in Indian Wells. However, it remains to be seen how realistic his participation in California is.
Djokovic stays cool
The world number 1 himself is relaxed and hopes that those responsible will give in later. Missing the spring tournaments in the USA would not be the end of the world for Djokovic. “The results in Australia showed that such a break does not affect my tennis,” said the 22-time Grand Slam champion confidently.
After all: In contrast to last year, nothing stands in the way of the participation of the currently best tennis player in the world at the US Open. There Djokovic could dethrone Carlos Alcaraz in September, who won his first Grand Slam in New York in 2022. At the media round in Belgrade, Nole praises the up-and-coming Spaniard but notes that his biggest rival on the tour is still Rafael Nadal. Next, the Serb will serve at the ATP tournament in Dubai starting next week.
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