Novak Djokovic has started the 2023 season in an extraordinary way after winning the Australian Open and breaking the overall record for weeks as No.1 player in the world. At 35-years old, the Serbian star has 22 Grand Slams tied with Rafael Nadal for best all-time in men’s singles.
Though Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the Dubai semifinals by Daniil Medvedev, he’s still the man to beat in the ATP tour. That’s why there’s a lot of expectation for the next part of the calendar which involves the Masters 1000 tournaments of Indian Wells and Miami.
However, in a shocking turn of events, Novak Djokovic won’t be allowed to participate in these importanttournamentsat the United States. The famous Sunshine Doublewon’t have the biggest star in tennis. Read here to check out the reasons why.
Why is Novak Djokovic not playing atIndian Wells and Miami?
Senator Rick Scott spreadthe news by confirming an update on Novak Djokovic’s status to enter the United States. “We have been told that Homeland Security just denied Novak Djokovic’s vaccine waiver request, making him ineligible to compete in the US next week in California (Indian Wells) and in the Miami Open.”
In fact, the Miami Open also talked about Djokovic’s situation through the official Twitter account of the tournament. “Novak Djokovic is one of the greatest tennis players of all time and a six-time champion of the Miami Open. We hope he is allowed entry into the country so Floridians have the opportunity to see him compete once again.”
During an interview with the New York Times, Tommy Haas, the director of the Indian Wells tournament, admitted they tried everything to bring the best player inthe world to the US. “Novak’s situation is obviously frustrating for us. We want the best tennis player in the world to be here. He’s writing me and he wants to be here. So, of course, you’re like, ok, let’s try to make this happen. How can we figure this out that’s going to be realistic? But, at the end of the day, unfortunately that’s not in our hands and that’s what’s frustrating.”
This could develop into a major shift in men’s tennis during the next weeks. If Novak Djokovic isn’t allowed to play in the US and Carlos Alcaraz wins Indian Wells and Miami, the Spanish star would become again world number one. Stefanos Tsitsipas might have a chance too.
Of course, many questions regarding Novak Djokovic and the US Open have resurfaced toward the 2023 edition. At the moment, the regulations to enter the country without being vaccinated might be withdrawn by May, but, nothing is official yet. The US Open is scheduled to be played in New York from August 28th to September 10th and this was the message from the organization.
“Novak Djokovic is one the greatest champions our sport has ever seen. The USTA and US Open are hopeful that Novak is successful in his petition to enter the country, and that the fans will be able to see him back in action at Indian Wells and Miami.”
