(Los Angeles) The world N.1 of tennis Novak Djokovic, prevented from entering the United States because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19, was forced to forfeit the Masters 1000 of Indian Wells, California tournament organizers announced on Sunday.
The Serb had requested a special dispensation from local authorities in recent weeks. In vain. The support received from the American Tennis Federation and the organizers of the United States Open did nothing.
Djokovic will therefore not benefit from any preferential treatment. Because Washington does not allow entry into the country to unvaccinated international travelers. And the US Transportation Security Agency (TSA) recently indicated that this measure will not change until at least mid-April.
The Indian Wells tournament begins Wednesday in the Californian desert and will end on March 19. And it will be followed by another Masters 1000 with the Miami Open from March 22 until April 2, for which he should also be forced to forfeit.
Djokovic, joint record holder for the number of Grand Slams won (22) with Rafael Nadal, since his coronation at the Australian Open at the start of the year, was waiting to hear the response from the American authorities to his request for a waiver. “If it is refused to me, I will withdraw from the tournament of course, before the draw” scheduled for Monday, he said, before conceding the first defeat of his season in the semi-finals against Daniil Medvedev.
What he just did. The 35-year-old Serb is certainly the most famous athlete to refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
For this reason, he had been expelled from Australia, shortly before the 2022 edition of the Major in Melbourne. And for the next few months, he was barred from coming to the United States to defend his chances at Indian Wells and the U.S. Open.
The last time he played a game on American soil was at Flushing Meadows in 2021.