Reigning champion Novak Djokovic will miss US Open due to federal vaccination policy

But on Thursday, Djokovic’s time ran out. Three days before play is due to start, he said that he would not be flying to New York. Though the 21-time Grand Slam champion skipping the U.S. Open will change the complexion of the tournament, Djokovic’s withdrawal hardly came as a surprise. Even he had been pessimistic about his chances.

“Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open,” he wrote on social media. “Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support. Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again. See you soon tennis world!”

Djokovic’s announcement came less than two hours before the unveiling of the draw, in which he would have been the fifth seed.

Elsewhere in the draw, men’s top seed and defending champion Daniil Medvedev will meet the 24-year-old American Stefan Kozlov, while the women’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek is set to face No. 57 Jasmine Paolini of Italy. Six-time U.S. Open champion Serena Williams, meanwhile, will begin the final major of her career against Danka Kovinic of Montenegro, who is ranked No. 80 in the world.

“Novak is a great champion and it is very unfortunate that he will be unable to compete at the 2022 U.S. Open, as he is unable to enter the country due to the federal government’s vaccination policy for non-U.S.citizens,” U.S. Open tournament director Stacey Allaster said. “We look forward to welcoming Novak back at the 2023 US Open.”

The irony surrounding Djokovic being denied access in 2022 is that he was allowed to compete in 2021, before the travel rules were in place. The unvaccinated Djokovic reached the final, where he lost to Medvedev, missing his shot at a calendar-year Grand Slam.

This year, Djokovic was again in scintillating form on his way to a seventh Wimbledon title in July. But the second he lifted the trophy, his momentum ground to a halt. Djokovic suddenly had no idea what would come next. Not only did the U.S. rules on vaccination theoretically bar him from the season’s fourth major, they also kept him out of the American hardcourt swing.

“I’ll wait hopefully for some good news from USA because I would really love to go there,” he said after the final in London. “I’m not vaccinated and I’m not planning to get vaccinated… So the only good news I can have is them removing the mandated green vaccine card or whatever you call it to enter the United States, or an exemption.”

The normally upbeat Djokovic knew the odds were against him. In a season that had already seen him deported from Australia following a dispute about whether or not his exemption from vaccination was valid, he didn’t expect any rules to break in his favour again.

“I think it’s a joke if he’s not allowed to participate here,” ESPN analyst John McEnroe said. “The bottom line is… it doesn’t look good.”

Though he said he would prepare as if he were competing anyway, practising on hard courts, Djokovic didn’t appear to be in Grand Slam preparation mode in recent days. While his rivals were competing in the U.S., including the all-time major tournament record-holder Rafael Nadal, Djokovic was making appearances back in the Balkans. Last week, he attended a basketball match between Slovenia and Serbia in Ljubljana.

-The Wall Street Journal