Novak Djokovic could return to the US Open this yr after missing the 2022 tournament because the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate for foreign air travelers ends next week.
“Novak Djokovic is an awesome champion, a fan favorite, and now that the federal government has lifted vaccination requirements for international travelers, we won’t wait to welcome him back to Recent York for the 2023 US Open,” said US Tennis Association spokesman Chris Widmaier. he wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The White House announced Monday that almost all of the recent federal COVID-19 vaccine requirements will disappear on May 11, when the national coronavirus public health emergency ends.
The US Open, the ultimate Grand Slam tournament of the season, kicks off in Recent York in August.
Djokovic, a 35-year-old from Serbia, has missed several key events – including the 2022 US Open – because he selected to not be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
In April 2020, Djokovic said he was against getting vaccinated before traveling.
He later said he wouldn’t get shots even when it meant he wouldn’t be allowed to compete in a few of a very powerful tournaments in his sport.
Unable to travel to america, he missed the Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells, California and Miami each last yr and this yr.
Most famously, Djokovic was deported from Australia in January 2022 ahead of the Australian Open after a legal saga led to his travel visa being revoked.
Djokovic was capable of travel to the country in January this yr after the pandemic restrictions were eased.
There, he won the Australian Open for his twenty second Grand Slam title, even beating rival Rafael Nadal for essentially the most in tennis history.
Djokovic will miss the Madrid Open this week resulting from an ongoing problem together with his surgically repaired right elbow.
The following major tennis tournament is the French Open, which starts on May 28 in Paris.