Since the United States has announced on May 11 that it will no longer require international travelers to have proof of vaccination against COVID-19, men’s tennis world number one Novak Djokovic will be able to compete in this year’s US Open. On Monday, the White House said that the mandates will be lifted once the coronavirus public health emergency was lifted the next week. Due to his lack of COVID-19 vaccination, tennis star Novak Djokovic was forced to skip the 2022 US Open.
The 35-year-old Serb tried to get into the US this year to compete in the Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami, but his application for special clearance from the US government was denied. Djokovic was banned from entering Australia and missing out on the 2018 Australian Open because of his refusal to get a COVID vaccination. To catch up to Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 men’s grand slam wins, the Australian government relaxed its limitations later in 2022, allowing the Serb to compete in and win the 2023 event in Melbourne. If Djokovic had been properly vaccinated against the coronavirus, he would not have needed an exemption to enter Australia in 2022, notwithstanding his refusal to answer the question directly. Released in April of that year (2020), it reads in part: “Personally, I am opposed to the vaccine against COVID-19 in order to travel. But if it’s mandated, I’ll have to decide whether or not to participate.
He planned a series of exhibition matches without any sort of social distance or masking, and a few months later he and his wife tested positive for the disease caused by the coronavirus. Djokovic admitted he committed a “error of judgment” and should have immediately gone into isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 in January 2022, when he attended a newspaper interview and photograph at his tennis center in Serbia. Three of Djokovic’s 22 Grand Slams are US Open victories. The dates of this year’s event are August 28th through September 10th.