The greatest career goal of Novak Djokovic by the time he retires is to win the most male Grand Slam singles championships, although with the US Open looming, that might be far-fetched.
The Serb currently has 21 major wins after winning Wimbledon in July, while Rafael Nadal holds the record for most major wins by a man. Novak Djokovic missed out on opportunities to add to his total this year because he decided against getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Djokovic, a nine-time Australian Open champion was unable to compete in Melbourne and may also miss the US Open after saying previously that he had his “fingers crossed” that he would be in the field when the Grand Slam starts on August 29.
Is there a possibility that Djokovic will be competing at the US Open
No, not at the moment.
Non-vaccinated foreign nationals are not allowed to enter the US as of October 2021. The COVID-19 vaccine is something Djokovic is missing. At the time this article was written on Monday, Djokovic was still on the list of people who could play in the US Open.
Before flying from another country, a non-US citizen is required to “present proof of having completely inoculated against COVID-19,” according to the CDC, the US government’s health protection department.
The decision caused Novak Djokovic to lose his eligibility for the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami in March and April and the Cincinnati Open last week.
In addition, he was disqualified from the Rogers Cup, another Masters competition, which took place in Montreal this month due to Canada’s ban on unvaccinated foreign guests.
Because of these things, people who support Novak Djokovic and maybe even the player himself are more likely to think that the travel ban for people who aren’t immunized will be lifted before the US Open.
Many have questioned the scientific justification for refusing Djokovic admission to the US ever since the CDC’s guidelines were changed to allow unvaccinated Americans to travel abroad.
Djokovic’s window of opportunity is gradually closing because no more development has occurred. It will be one week before the Grand Slam competition begins.
About 50,000 people have signed a petition asking for him to be permitted to play, and shortly after it was launched, Novak Djokovic thanked them.
Is there any chance the rules may be changed so he can participate?
On August 11, the CDC relaxed some of its COVID-19 restrictions, putting some demands for US individuals without the shot in line with those for those who have.
In addition to talking about the changes, the CDC said that in the coming weeks, it would “try to synchronize stand-alone advisory materials” in a number of areas, such as travel.
On the page containing the specifics of visitors’ immunization documentation, the CDC website notes that it is “reviewing this page in accordance with the newest requirements.”
Due to these circumstances, Novak Djokovic supporters and possibly even the player are more likely to believe that the travel ban on non-immunized visitors will be repealed before the US Open.
Many have questioned the scientific justification for refusing Djokovic admission to the US ever since the CDC’s guidelines were changed to allow unvaccinated Americans to travel abroad.
How things got to this point
Novak Djokovic has long expressed a dislike for vaccinations. In February, he told the BBC that he was prepared to forego competing in the main events to stand by his convictions.
That happened a few weeks after he was kicked out of Australia as a result of a protracted legal battle over the legitimacy of his entry visa.
When asked why he didn’t want the immunization, Djokovic replied that he was trying to be as “in tune” with his body as he could.
This had an effect on Djokovic, who claimed to have “always been a big student of wellness, wellbeing, health, and nutrition.” He talked about how changing his diet and sleeping schedule helped him get in better shape.
However, he adamantly maintained that he had “never been anti-vaccination.”
Novak Djokovic’s inability to compete due to his lack of immunizations was one of the last occasions this occurred. However, Wimbledon and the French Open did not forbid him from competing, and immunization laws are now more lax in most countries that host ATP competitions.
