Djokovic could miss a Grand Slam for the second time this year due to his refusal to get vaccinated. Photo by AP / Manu Fernandez
One week at the beginning of US Openand three days after the draw for its main draw, the big question about the North American Grand Slam remains what will happen to Novak Djokovic. The Serbian continues to wait for the US government to change restrictions that prevent foreign visitors not vaccinated against the coronavirus from entering the country. And although the current world number six hasn’t given up hope of being able to play in New York since then Flushing Mews They seem to have given an indication that their absence is already a fact.
It is that the competition has shared on its social networks the official poster of the 2022 edition, in which some of the great attractions of the women’s and men’s teams appear, under the slogan “The tennis stars are ready to answer the call”. Y freight it is conspicuous by its absence. Those chosen alongside the ATP are the Russians Daniel Medvedev, last champion and leader of the standings; the Spanish Rafael Nadalwhich will start as the second favorite after the loss of alexander zverevY Carlos Alcaraz, fourth in the standings and one of the best players of the year; and the Australian Nick Kyrgiosof great present.
The omission of Djokovic, a three-time tournament winner and finalist last year, is surprising. It could simply be a marketing decision. Perhaps the organizers did not want to risk including him in the promotional poster, having to “cancel” him later, if the Serbian is finally eliminated. Though many have interpreted it as an unofficial confirmation that the former number one will not play the tournament.
If so, it will be the second “big” freight will miss this season due to his refusal to get vaccinated. In January, she starred in a real novel in Australia, where he was even detained in a Melbourne hotel for failing to comply with health regulations upon entering the oceanic country. he could play Roland Garroswhere he lost to Nadal in the quarter-finals, and in Wimbledon. Although the coronation of him in All of England It tasted bittersweet, because he could not revalidate the two points he put up for grabs due to the decision of the ATP not to award them after the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian tennis players by the organizers.
These different scenarios, added to their inability to play even the Montreal Master 1000 Y Cincinnatieven for not being vaccinated, it made him lose ground in the standings, in which a few weeks ago he had finished seventh.
Even though time is running out for Djokovic, he has never stopped dreaming of returning to New York. “I am preparing as if I could compete, while I wait to find out if there is room to travel to the United States. Fingers crossed! ”, She posted about him on his social media on July 30th, accompanied by a video in which he was seen training on a hard court.
His viral expression of desire took on more strength when, just over a week ago, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) of the United States has announced new health measures that could open the door to enter that country.
The CDC has warned that it will treat vaccinated people the same way as unvaccinated people. Furthermore, those who have no symptoms of Covid-19 should not be swabbed and close contacts with the virus will not be forced to isolate themselves. These changes have not yet been formalized. But it remains to be seen whether immigration authorities will continue to require the vaccination card to enter the United States.
Djokovic is still enrolled in the tournament and will certainly wait until the last minute before leaving, as he did in Montreal and Cincinnati, where he retired just hours before the draw.
Will you receive any good news in the next few days? The display of the US Open, with a poster that does not include it among the attractions of the tournament, seems to indicate that this will not be the case.
Source: Clarin
