More Trouble Brews for Novak Djokovic Over His US Open Participation as New Mandate Gets Rolled Out

Novak Djokovic hasn’t had a very pleasant year so far. Thanks to his firm stand on not being vaccinated, the Serbian has put himself in a spot where he is missing out on a number of tournaments. Not having won a major this year so far, Djokovic still has two chances left, i.e. Wimbledon and the US Open. However, going by recent reports, he may just have one.

While the World No. 1 is expected to play at the Wimbledon Championship later this month, he may be forced to pull out of the US Open.

Vaccination stand to cost Djokovic a place in the US Open?

Over the past few months, the world has witnessed a drop in COVID-19 cases. However, in the past few weeks, the infection has again risen in some parts of the world. In an urge to control the re-spread of the virus, countries are releasing new rules and regulations.

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Yesterday, the 10th of June, the American government rolled out its new mandate concerning COVID-19. As per the mandate, passengers traveling received a slight leverage as they can now travel without a covid test. However, like the previous mandate, the government has kept vaccination as a mandatory measure for international passengers traveling to the US.

The mandate comes in as a sign of trouble for Djokovic as he may be forced to miss the US Open.

Missing the US Open wouldn’t be the first case of Djokovic missing a tournament in the US. In March, the Serbian was forced to pull out from the Indian Wells and the Miami Masters. Apart from that, he was also forced to miss the Australian Open due to his stand on vaccination.

Novak Djokovic to play at Wimbledon?

Not being able to play in the Australian Open, and failing to show his magic at the French Open, next in line for Djokovic is Wimbledon. Being the defending champion, the Serbian will be the top seeded player in the draw. However, his participation may be in doubt following ATP’s decision to not award ranking points for this year’s grass-court Grand Slam.

Due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Wimbledon announced a ban on Russian and Belarusian player’s participation this year. Like many other athletes, Djokovic also came forward criticizing Wimbledon for its decision.

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Will Djokovic defend his Wimbledon title? Let us know in the comments below.