Novak Djokovic has confirmed he’ll miss the upcoming ATP Masters tournaments at both Indian Wells and Miami, due to his refusal to be vaccinated.
Djokovic was on the entry list for both tournaments, and was yesterday placed in the draw for Indian Wells.
The current regulations require any non-US citizen to be vaccinated in order to enter the country.
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“I knew it would be unlikely I would be able to travel,” Djokovic wrote on Twitter.
“The CDC has confirmed that regulations won’t be changing so I won’t be able to play in the US.
“Good luck to those playing in these great tournaments.”
It means Djokovic likely won’t play until the Monte Carlo Masters in April.
The Serbian was kicked out of Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open, and recently lost his world No.1 ranking to Daniil Medvedev.
https://twitter.com/DjokerNole/status/1501682656483893249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
He is likely to be able to defend his title at Roland-Garros in May, after the French government recently relaxed restrictions for non-vaccinated travellers.
He’s also expected to play at Wimbledon, but if the United States doesn’t change its stance he won’t be able to play at the US Open in August.
His absence from Indian Wells has forced a reshuffle of the draw, with Grigor Dimitrov, who was next in line to be seeded, placed into Djokovic’s spot.
A lucky loser will move into Dimitrov’s spot in the draw.
Djokovic has won the Indian Wells tournament a record five times.
Speaking to the BBC last month, Djokovic said that he is prepared to miss big tournaments because of his stance.
“The principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else,” he said.
“I’m trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can.”
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