Time is running out for the United States to adjust its COVID-19 vaccination rules and allow Novak Djokovic to play in the 2022 U.S. Open. The former world No. 1 is currently barred from entering the country due to his unvaccinated status.
Several tennis players and policymakers have spoken out in support of allowing Djokovic to play, including four-time U.S. Open champion John McEnroe. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not yet updated policies for foreign travelers, despite promising future changes on Aug. 11.
“In the coming weeks, (the) CDC will work to align stand-alone guidance documents, such as those for ... travel,” officials said at the time.
The U.S. Open does not mandate COVID-19 vaccination, which means that unvaccinated Americans will be able to compete. U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney, a Republican from New York, highlighted that fact in an open letter to President Joe Biden about Djokovic’s situation, as the Deseret News previously reported.
“I’m urging the Biden administration to issue a National Interest Exemption so that world renowned tennis star Novak Djokovic and any other international athlete can compete in the U.S. Open,” Tenney tweeted on Aug. 2.
Djokovic, who is coming off a big win at Wimbledon, already missed U.S. Open warm-up tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati due to his vaccine status. He has not yet formally withdrawn from the 2022 U.S. Open, which starts Monday, but his personal website does not list it among his upcoming events.
“Novak Djokovic will miss the final Grand Slam of the year at the U.S. Open, according to his official schedule,” Forbes reported.
Observant tennis fans have also noticed that Djokovic was not included in a promotional poster shared by the official U.S. Open Twitter account Monday.
Unlike the U.S., Australia has revoked its vaccine mandate affecting foreign travelers, which means Djokovic might be able to play in the Australian Open in January if he works out his visa troubles with that country. “If he doesn’t, it’s possible he won’t play another major until the French Open in 2023,” Forbes reported.