‘Maybe There Is a Political Logic’ – Novak Djokovic Firmly Believes That His Popularity Is Stopping Him From US Open Participation

Novak Djokovic has had a turbulent 2022 season. Earlier this year, he was embroiled in a controversy after his visa was canceled on arrival in Australia to defend his Australian Open title. Subsequently, the Serb fought a long legal battle and was eventually barred from participating in the Australian Open after his deportation from Australia.

The former World Number 1 battled poor form following this controversy. He had early exits at the tournaments in Dubai and Monte Carlo. However, he came back strongly during the clay-court season to win the title in Rome. Currently participating in the Wimbledon Championships 2022, he recently talked about playing at the US Open later this year.

Novak Djokovic slams ‘double standards’ on his US Open participation

During a recent interview, Djokovic opened up about playing in the last Grand Slam tournament of the season. He said, “No unvaccinated people can enter the USA as of this moment. I did hear unofficially that some people got away with it, some people who are not ‘famous’, but I would never even try to go to the USA if it is not allowed.”

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Talking about the political logic behind it, Djokovic went on to say, “I don’t see the medical logic behind it, that Tennys can play because he is a citizen of the USA, and I cannot. If I had a US passport or a green card, I would be able to play. Maybe there is a political logic behind it – not medical – but I would rather not get into that and you can understand why.”

Djokovic to suffer a massive blow in the ATP rankings

Earlier this year, the tennis bodies stripped Wimbledon of ranking points due to their ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes. As a result, Djokovic will lose the 2000 ranking points that he earned last season.

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Due to this, the Serb will encounter a massive slip in the ATP rankings. Last month, he had already surrendered his Number 1 ranking after failing to defend his French Open title.