Novak Djokovic Will Miss The U.S. Open, His Official Schedule Says

Novak Djokovic will miss the final Grand Slam of the year at the U.S. Open, according to his official schedule.

“There are no scheduled events at this moment,” his official website says.

The draw for the U.S. Open is set to be made Thursday and the tournament begins Monday.

Djokovic, 35, is not currently allowed to travel to the U.S. as an unvaccinated foreigner and on Aug. 12 withdrew from the last major warm-up for the U.S. Open in Cincinnati. There had been hope he might be able to play in New York after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) earlier this month relaxed many Covid rules in the U.S.

On Aug. 11, the CDC said travel restrictions could change “in the coming weeks.”

“In the coming weeks CDC will work to align stand-alone guidance documents, such as those for healthcare settings, congregate settings at higher risk of transmission, and travel, with today’s update,” the organization said.

Djokovic has received support from current players John Isner and Taylor Fritz to tennis legend John McEnroe to U.S. Senator Rand Paul.

“Yes. Complete lunacy he can’t compete as of now. #science” Isner said on Twitter earlier this month.

“It’s BS,” McEnroe, a four-time U.S. Open champion, told Fox Digital earlier this month. “I think he should be allowed to play.

“My personal opinion is, I’ve been vaccinated, I’ve had a booster shot. That’s up to the individual.

“He’s won a lot more majors than me because he’s dug his heels in and found that will, that very few people in sport have ever found. That’s part of what made him so great, so he sticks to his guns.”

Paul, a Republican Senator from Kentucky, used Djokovic to make a point about immigrants entering the U.S. via the Southern border.

“I think it ironic that we won’t let the world’s greatest tennis player in because he’s not vaccinated, Djokovic, yet we’ll let thousands and thousands of migrants come in unvaccinated,” he said on Fox. “Talk about hypocrisy. Maybe you should talk to the CDC about that.”

U.S. Open officials have said they will adhere to the government’s rules on vaccination, so no players will be given an exemption to enter the country and play at the Open.

Djokovic, a 21-time Grand Slam champion, has said he won’t get the Covid shots, even if that means he can’t go to certain tournaments. He missed the Australian Open in January after being deported from that country and needed to sit out two events in the United States earlier this year.

He did play in the French Open, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Rafael Nadal, and at Wimbledon, which Djokovic won last month for his 21st Grand Slam title — one behind the men’s record of 22 held by Nadal.

If Nadal goes on to win the U.S. Open, he could stretch his lead to 23-21 over Djokovic. Roger Federer, who has not played since Wimbledon in 2021, owns 20 major titles.

Djokovic recently posted on social media that he was holding out hope of getting the chance to play in the U.S. Open, writing: “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 US. Fingers crossed!.”

After beating Nick Kyrgios in the Wimbledon final on July 10, Djokovic said he “would love” to participate in the last Grand Slam tournament of the year at Flushing Meadows, but also acknowledged, “I’m not planning to get vaccinated.”

If he is not allowed to come to the U.S., it’s possible he won’t play another major until the French Open in 2023 because he got his visa revoked for three years in Australia, although that could change.