Djokovic can return to US Open; vaccine mandate ends May 11
Novak Djokovic can return to the U.S. Open this year after missing the tournament in 2022, because the federal govern‐ ment's COVID‐19 vaccination mandate for foreign air travelers ends next week.
"Novak Djokovic is a great champion, a fan favorite, and now that the federal government has lifted its vaccine require‐ ments for international travelers, we look forward to welcoming him back to New York for the 2023 U.S. Open," U.S. Tennis As‐ sociation spokesman Chris Wid‐ maier wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The White House announced Monday most of the last remain‐ ing federal COVID‐19 vaccine re‐ quirements will disappear May 11, when the national public health emergency for the coron‐ avirus ends.
The U.S. Open, the season's final Grand Slam tournament, begins in New York in August.
Djokovic, a 35‐year‐old from Serbia, has missed several key events — including the 2022 U.S. Open — because he decided not to get inoculated against the coronavirus.
Back in April 2020, Djokovic said he was opposed to needing to be vaccinated to travel. He later said he would not get the shots even if it meant he would not be allowed to participate in some of his sport's most impor‐ tant tournaments. Unable to travel to the United States, he missed the Masters 1000 tourna‐ ments at Indian Wells, California, and Miami both last year and this year.
Most famously, Djokovic was deported from Australia in Janu‐ ary 2022 ahead of the Australian Open after a legal saga that re‐ sulted in the revocation of his visa to travel there.
Djokovic was able to go to that country this January after its pandemic‐era restrictions were eased. There, he won the Aus‐ tralian Open for his 22nd Grand Slam title, pulling even with rival Rafael Nadal for the most by a man in tennis history.
Djokovic is sitting out the Madrid Open this week because of a lingering issue with his sur‐ gically repaired right elbow. The next major tennis championship is the French Open, which begins in Paris on May 28.