NEW DELHI, March 18 – World No. 1 men’s tennis player Novak Djokovic, who was denied entry to the United States because of his vaccination status, will miss next week’s ATP Masters 1000 Miami Open in Florida .
The main draw of the Miami Open will start on March 22 and will end on April 2.
“We did everything we could. We tried to talk to the government, but that was out of our control. We tried, but he couldn’t play,” Miami Open tournament director James Black told Tennis Channel.
“He achieved the same result at Indian Wells and I know (tournament director) Tommy Haas did his best there. We tried to get Novak Djokovic an exemption but that was impossible Happened. We’d love to have him, he’s our greatest champion, he’s won six times here. Unfortunately, it’s well above my pay grade,” he added.
Notably, unvaccinated air travelers are still barred from entering the United States until mid-May.
Despite not being vaccinated against the coronavirus, the Serbian great applied to US authorities for special permission to enter the United States last month.
His push to enter the United States has even been backed by the U.S. Open and the U.S. Tennis Association, who have pleaded with the government to make an exception for the tennis star.
“Novak Djokovic is one of the greatest champions the sport has ever seen. The USTA and the US Open hope Novak succeeds in his bid to enter the United States, and fans will be able to watch them at Indian Wells and Miami. Until he returns,” the U.S. Open Twitter account posted earlier this month.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion, who missed the US Open last time, has missed many events due to vaccination status. He withdrew from the ongoing Indian Wells Masters earlier this month after being denied an exemption.
The Serb was expelled from Australia last year and missed the Australian Open because of his vaccination status.
However, he was cleared to travel to Melbourne in January 2023 and won a record-breaking 10th Australian Open, tying Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles.
–IANS
BC/Acre
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