Unvaccinated Djokovic to miss Indian Wells and Miami Masters
Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic could face a longer wait to claim the all-time record for total weeks spent at world No 1 after an extension of vaccine requirements in the United States ruled out his participation in the Indian Wells and Miami Masters tournaments.
The unvaccinated 21 times grand slam winner is presently in Australia after his three-year visa ban was overturned. The Labor government decided to drop all Covid-19 vaccine requirements for incoming travellers last July, allowing Djokovic to return to the country from which he was deported this time last year.
By contrast, health authorities in America have decided to extend a mandate for all non-US nationals to provide proof of full vaccination before boarding a flight from a foreign location. An emergency amendment issued by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Tuesday shows an end date of April 10. Before then it had been due to expire on Sunday.
This means that Djokovic cannot enter the US for Indian Wells from March 8-19 and Miami from March 22-April 2. These are two of the biggest events on the ATP tour outside the grand slams, offering 1,000 ranking points for the eventual champion in each.
Djokovic, 35, already holds the ATP record of 373 weeks at world No 1, well ahead of Roger Federer on 310. But he remains five weeks short of breaking Steffi Graf’s overall record of 377.
Djokovic is presently ranked No 5 in the world with 4,820 points after losing his No 1 position following a French Open quarter-final exit in June. His unvaccinated status meant he missed out on up to 8,000 points at various tournaments last year, while another 2,000 evaded him at Wimbledon despite winning the title because of the ATP’s decision not to award points in retaliation for the ban of Russian players.
Djokovic still has a chance of returning to world No 1 on January 30 if he wins a tenth Australian Open title. However, this would depend on an early exit for the incumbent Carlos Alcaraz. The 19-year-old Spaniard, who won last year’s US Open, has 6,820 points and would likely retain his position if he was to reach the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park.
There is no prospect of Djokovic receiving an exemption from the vaccine requirement. It was made clear to him before his withdrawal from the US Open in August that he was not eligible under the various criteria, which includes specific medical conditions and humanitarian reasons. He has not competed in America since the 2021 US Open final in which he lost out on the calendar grand slam.
Djokovic last year insisted that he was willing to miss out on trophies and records rather than be forced to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. He is one grand-slam title short of Rafael Nadal’s all-time men’s singles record of 22.
“I was never against vaccination but I’ve always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body,” Djokovic told the BBC.
“The principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else. I’m trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can.”
