Djokovic out of US tennis tournaments over vaccine rules

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) – World no. 2 in men's tennis Novak Djokovic from Serbia will miss US tournaments Indian Wells and Miami Open as the vaccine rules prevents him from entering the country.

"While I was automatically listed in the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open draw I knew it would be unlikely I’d be able to travel. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has confirmed that regulations won’t be changing so I won't be able to play in the US. Good luck to those playing in these great tournaments," Djokovic said on Twitter on Thursday.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion was previously expelled from Australia and barred from participating in the 2022 Australian Open for skipping COVID-19 vaccination.

In the late February, Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev became the number one in ATP Rankings with 8,615 points, surpassing Djokovic.

After Djokovic, 34, lost to Jiri Vesely in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships quarterfinals, Medvedev guaranteed his place at the top rankings.

Indian Wells Masters started on March 7 in California and will go through March 20. It will be followed by the Miami Open between March 21- April 3.