Tennis

'Just let Djokovic play'- Twitter in meltdown as US vaccine mandate likely to rule out Novak Djokovic from US Open

Novak Djokovic is likely to miss out from the US Open due to the country's strict vaccine mandate for foreigners.

author-image
Daniel S
New Update
Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic (Image source: Twitter)

Novak Djokovic is arguably one of the greatest Tennis players in the history of the sport. 21 Grand Slams, the second most in the entirety of the sport speaks volumes of his stature among all Tennis players.

It is no wonder then that the successful athlete is liked by many fans, peers and sportspersons of other sports. His popularity has once again come to his calling as a hoard of social media users have begun asking the US Government to let him play in the US Open.

For those unaware, the Serbian has decided to remain unvaccinated by any COVID vaccine as more and more countries mandate the process. Earlier this year, the 35-year-old Tennis ace was banned from the Australian Open and deported from the country after losing a court case regarding the mandates of COVID measures in Australia.

Djokovic later added another to his increasing list of Grand Slam wins with a Wimbledon win in July 2022. With another win he could level up with Rafael Nadal who has 22 Grand Slam wins to his name.

Djokovic’s hopes for the same, however, are hanging by a thread as a strict COVID vaccine mandate in the USA could turn out to be a spoilsport for the player and fans.

The US Open is scheduled to begin on August 23rd for Men’s and on 24th for Women’s events. Earlier, the event’s organisers had said, “The US Open does not have a vaccination mandate in place for players, but it will respect the US government’s position regarding travel into the country for unvaccinated non-US citizens.”

This meant that Djokovic would not be allowed to enter the country as the US has a strict “no entry” rule for unvaccinated foreigners coming into the country.

A statement on the US Open’s website reads, “Please note that if you are travelling from abroad to attend the US Open, you must be fully vaccinated with the primary series of an accepted COVID vaccine to travel to the United States (this applies to non-U.S. citizens and/or non-U.S. immigrants).”

The statement, however, further points to some chance still left for Djokovic’s inclusion in the tournament as it says, “COVID health and safety protocols for players (including any vaccination and/or testing requirements) are being evaluated and will be made at a later date taking into account guidance from US, New York State and New York City governmental and health authorities.”

The Djokovic-COVID saga has created a lot of buzz on social media with many calling out the US government for the illogical mandate and restricting one of the healthiest people in the world.

Let’s look at how Twitter has reacted to Novak Djokovic’s potential ban from US Open.

Tennis News Novak Djokovic