AP – After Novak Djokovic withdrew from tournaments in Florida and California because he still can’t travel to the United States (US) as a foreign citizen who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, a US Tennis Association (USTA) spokesman said yesterday the group is “very hopeful” the top-ranked player will be allowed into the country for the US Open in August.
“Policies concerning access to the US are determined by the White House. We are very hopeful that the policy preventing Novak Djokovic from entering the US will be rescinded, or lapse, in the near future,” the USTA’s Chris Widmaier wrote to The Associated Press.
“No COVID-19 restrictions are in place at the US Open for any player, fan or other attendee. Novak, one of our sport’s great champions, would be welcome to compete at the 2023 US Open.”
The two-week US Open starts in Flushing Meadows on August 28.
Djokovic, a 35-year-old from Serbia, was unable to get to New York for the season’s last Grand Slam tournament in 2022, when he also missed the Miami Open and BNP Paribas Open because he never got the shots for the illness caused by the coronavirus.
