A petition is circulating to allow Novak Djokovic to play at the US Open, but the Serbian is likely to miss out on all the American swing on the hard court, barring a sudden update to COVID-19 protocols in the US. USA and Canada.
Djokovic has refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the 21-time Grand Slam winner remains on the access lists for the 1000 ATP events in Montreal and Cincinnati that serve as preparation for the US Open from August 29 to September 11 in New York.
In the case of the US Open, which does not have a vaccination mandate, organizers have stated in the past that, according to Grand Slam rules, all eligible players enter the main draw based on their qualification 42 days before the first Monday of the event.
U. S. Open Organizers The U. S. government also said that while they do not have a vaccination mandate for players, they will respect the U. S. government’s position. U. S. U. S. relative to the country for unvaccinated non-U. S. citizens.
Former world number one Djokovic, whose online page does not show upcoming events, said last week that he was preparing for the US Open as if he were allowed to compete in the last Grand Slam of the year in which he is not vaccinated.
Djokovic’s side and the organizers of the three North American hard-court events did not respond when asked by Reuters for comment on Tuesday.
The hashtag #LetNovakPlay circulated on social media as a large number of Djokovic enthusiasts expressed support for a player who went on to one of Rafa Nadal’s 22 Grand Slam titles after his Triumph at Wimbledon last month.
“Tennis is neither attractive nor original when the most productive are not allowed to compete,” wrote one Twitter user, while another felt that winning a tour on which Djokovic does not play is less impressive: “There will be a * after each winner. “tourcallnt call where Novak can’t play!
Another post with the same hashtag evoked the U. S. president. U. S. President Joe Biden, who is fully vaccinated and twice reinforced, but tested positive on Saturday just 3 days after coming out of isolation after first testing positive on July 21.
“Biden quadruple-vaxxé has tested positive for covid again. But Djokovic unvaccinated, recovered from covid, cannot play in the US Open. He poses too wonderful a threat to the U. S. healthcare system,” the tweet read.
An online petition was filed a month ago calling on the U. S. Tennis Association to work with the U. S. government to allow Djokovic to participate in the U. S. Open in fulfillment of his goal of 50,000 signatures on Tuesday.
Attention on Djokovic’s prestige ahead of a Grand Slam is far from new, as he has not been around to protect his Australian Open crown this year after being expelled from the country due to his vaccinated prestige in January.
Djokovic has said in the past that he is willing to miss Grand Slam tournaments rather than take the COVID-19 vaccine Rappler. com.