Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic continues to refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and he continues to be barred from tennis tournaments in the United States. The Miami Open is the latest iteration of the saga for the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
“We tried to get Novak Djokovic to be allowed to get an exemption, but that wasn't able to happen,” tournament director James Blake told Tennis Channel. “Obviously, we're one of the premier tournaments in the world. We'd like to have the best players that can play. We did all that we could. We tried to talk to the government, but that's out of our hands.”
Djokovic will officially miss next week's Miami Open after being denied an exemption that would allow him to enter the United States without the vaccine.
“The U.S. currently bars unvaccinated foreigners from entry into the country, a policy that is expected to be lifted when the government ends its COVID-19 emergency declarations May 11,” wrote Reuters on Saturday. “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott were among those calling on the Biden administration to allow Djokovic to enter the U.S. and compete at the tournament he has won six times.”
The 35-year-old is also missing the BNP Paribas Open Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, which is down to the final four as of Saturday: Daniil Medvedev, American Frances Tiafoe, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic was deported from the Australian Open in 2022 because of his vaccination status, but returned and won his record-tying 22nd Grand Slam in Melbourne in 2023. He and Rafael Nadal are deadlocked with 22.
He has been clear in the past that he would skip Grand Slams rather than receive a COVID-19 shot.
With his absence now confirmed in Miami, Novak Djokovic will focus on his planned return to the tour, which will come at the Monte Carlo Masters clay court event that begins on Apr. 9.
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