Novak Djokovic’s forthcoming schedule is in the hands of the American authorities after he submitted a request to enter the country, according to his brother.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion is currently unable to play in America due to not being vaccinated against COVID-19 which is a mandatory requirement by authorities on foreign arrivals. As it currently stands, the government isn’t intending to lift their COVID-19 emergency declaration until May 11th which is nearly three years after they implemented measures to curb the spread of the virus.
Djokovic has already missed a series of events in the region, including the US Open, due to his stance on the vaccination. However, his brother Djordje Djokovic has confirmed to the Serbian news agency Tanjug that the tennis star has asked for permission to travel to the region next month in order to play at the Indian Wells Masters and Miami Masters.
“Unfortunately, it is something that is out of our hands,” Djordje told Tanjug. “Novak needs to get a special permission to enter, considering that the USA still doesn’t let unvaccinated foreigners into the country, which is unbelievable, considering that we have seen big sporting manifestations with unvaccinated athletes throughout the world.”
“There are a few days left until the decision, we are hoping for a positive outcome,” he later added.
Djokovic is a five-time champion in Indian Wells and a six-time champion in Miami. He has won both of those events within the same year on four separate occasions which is a record for both male and female players.
Indian Wells’ tournament director, Tommy Hass, has said the prospect of the Serbian not being allowed to play in his event would be a ‘disgrace‘ when most other countries have lifted their restrictions on non-vaccinated individuals.
“It would be nice to see if we could maybe lift those (restrictions) a little earlier and have him come to play Indian Wells and Miami,” Haas told reporters last month. “I think he wants to play, so we should give him the chance. Hopefully, we can have him there. I mean, it would be a disgrace in my eyes if he wasn’t coming to these events, or not allowed to come.”
It is not known when Djokovic will find out if he has been successful in his application. He has started this season with a 12-match winning streak, claiming titles at the Adelaide International and Australian Open.
