The North American leg of the tennis’ season is underway and it isalmost time for the Canadian Masters 2022, which will start on Monday August 8. While the tournament, also known as the National Bank Open,will have big names competing such as world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic won’t be seen in Montreal.
Djokovic, who is currently the world No. 6 of the ATP Rankings,has an overall win-loss record of 23-5 this season. He took home his sixth title inWimbledon in July.It was also his second trophyof the year,after the Italian Open, and his first Grand Slam in 2022.
The Serbian couldn’t play the Australian Open this season, but he did get to compete in the French Open, in which he was eliminated by Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. With the US Open getting closer, many people expected Djokovic to play in Montreal as preparation but that wasn’t the case.
Why Novak Djokovic won’t be playing at the Canadian Open 2022?
Djokovic, 35, withdrew from the 2022 National Bank Open in Montreal on Thursday due to his COVID-19 vaccination status. He is not allowed to enter Canada since he is not vaccinated and doesn’t plan to be in the near future, as he has stated many times.
It’s the fourth big tournament he misses for the same reason after theAustralian Open, the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open.His participation in the US Open is also in danger, and the Serbian will likely miss the majorbecause the United States does not allow unvaccinated foreigners to enter the country.However, Djokovic is still hopeful he can play in New York.
“I am preparing as if I will be allowed to compete, while I await to hear if there is any room for me to travel to the US,” Djokovic tweeted on July 30, after thanking fans for their support. The Serbian still remains in the early entry list, which inlcudes all the eligible players based on ranking.
