Biden administration grants entry to country without vaccine and Serb could play US Open, which has final say
“If they give me permission, it will be me and if not, it won’t be me. It’s not the end of the world.” The quote is from Novak Djokovic a month ago, referring to his participation in the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the season. Since June, the United States has required the full vaccination schedule against the coronavirus. to access their borders. Until this Friday. The North American Center for Disease Control has announced that the vaccinated and unvaccinated population will have the same guidelines for action in the country. This way, the door will be opened for the Serb to participate in the New York tournament.
Djokovic’s participation in Flushing Meadows is not entirely certain. The player waits for the tournament organizer to include him in the draw. Although the Balkan tennis player was still able to participate a year ago because the US did not need to be protected from the coronavirus, it must be assumed that once the veto is lifted, the US Open will not afford the luxury of rejecting the intervention of the Wimbledon champion. Just in case, Djokovic signed on to the last major’s dispute of the year a month ago, which, if overcome, would match him again with Rafa Nadal at the top with 22 wounds. It was then that a statement from the US Open ruled out any possibility that the world’s current number six would receive a medical exemption from participating.
“We will respect the position of the United States government regarding travel to the country by unvaccinated non-US citizens,” the tournament announcement was made. A refusal to give Djokovic would set off a tsunami, similar to the one in Australia in January, when he was deported from the oceanic country after being held for four days in an immigration center in Melbourne. The Serb, the world’s number one at the time, became a national hero, splitting public opinion between those who did not want to be vaccinated and those who chose the injection as the main way to stop the epidemic.
Three-time winner of the Arthur Ashe and finalist of the last edition (Medvedev robbed him of completing the Grand Slam after winning the previous three), Djokovic has not stopped training, trusting the distant opportunities he had to finish of the American tour. He’s already missed the Montreal Masters 1,000 taking place today because Canada also bans unvaccinated travelers from entering, but he signed up for Cincinnati, a similar-category tournament taking place next week.
Despite the lifting of the ban in the United States, the one from Belgrade will ultimately not be in Ohio because the bureaucratic procedures do not arrive in time. In this way, Djokovic would arrive at the US Open without competition rhythm and without official matches in his legs (starting on August 29). His last bet was the Wimbledon final in which he defeated Nick Kyrgios in four sets. He only played 29 games this year. He also won in Rome.
Source: La Verdad
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