The Organizers of the BNP Paribas Open have said it is still to be determined if Novak Djokovic will be playing in the Masters tournament despite the world No.2 being placed into the draw on Tuesday.
The 20-time Grand Slam has not spoken publicly about his plans to play in America ever since participating in the Dubai Tennis Championships where he lost in the quarter-finals. It was at that tournament where he said he would like to play in the country but was unsure if he would be allowed to do so due to being unvaccinated against COVID-19.
Djokovic is the only player in the top 100 who hasn’t had some form of vaccination, according to an ATP spokesperson. Under rules set out by the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention visitors to the country are required to be vaccinated with there being few exceptions to the ruling. According to the list of exceptions outlined by the government, it appears that Djokovic doesn’t meet the criteria in order to enter America. However, neither he or his team has confirmed this.
“Novak Djokovic is on the tournament entry list, and therefore is placed into the draw today. We are currently in communication with his team; however, it has not been determined if he will participate in the event by getting CDC approval to enter the country,” a statement by tournament officials reads.
“We will provide updates in the future as we learn more.”
If Djokovic doesn’t play and ends up withdrawing from the tournament he could end up being fined under the ATP Rules regarding late withdrawals. He has won the tournament a record-equalling five times so far in his career. The only other person to have won the title that many times is Roger Federer.
This year’s draw will be headed by new world No.1 Daniil Medvedev who will be bidding to become the first Russian man in history to win the Indian Wells trophy. He has been drawn in the same half as Rafael Nadal and the two could lock horns in the semi-final. In his section Medvedev could play Gael Monfils in the third round followed by either rising star Carlos Alcaraz or Roberto Bautista Agut.
Alexander Zverev, who is the third seed, will begin his campaign against either Grigor Dimitrov or Tommy Paul. The German has already won five Masters titles in his career, which is two more than Medvedev who is two years older than him.
Defending champion Cameron Norrie has been placed on a collision course with Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round should both players reach that stage. The Brit, who is seeded 12th in the draw, stunned the field last year to claim his maiden Masters crown.
The first round of the men’s tournament will begin on Thursday. All 32 seeds in the draw have received a bye in the first round.
