Twenty-one time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic has announced his absence from the upcoming US Open via a Twitter post after he was not given a visa.
Djokovic said, sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open. Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support.
Stacy Allaster, the tournament director of the US Open, said in a statement that Novak is a great champion and it is very unfortunate that he will be unable to compete at the 2022 US Open, as he is unable to enter the country due to the federal government's vaccination policy for non-US citizens.
Djokovic has remained unvaccinated against Covid-19 throughout the pandemic, and current US rules stipulate that any non-US citizen must be fully vaccinated against the virus in order to receive a visa and enter the country.
This is not the first time that Djokovic has faced controversy because of his unvaccinated status.
His visa was also rejected earlier this year in January, ruling him out of the Australian Open.
Source: CNN
