Unvaxxed Djokovic still hopes to play at the U.S. Open

Novak Djokovic still hope that he’ll be able to compete at the U.S. Open despite not being vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion said Saturday on his social media accounts that he’s been training as if he’ll play at Flushing Meadows when the last major of the year begins Aug. 29.

“I am preparing as if I will be allowed to compete, while I await to hear if there is any room for me to travel to U.S. Fingers crossed!” he wrote.

Although he’s been included on the U.S. Open entry list, the United States does not allow unvaccinated noncitizens to enter the country, which is why the Serb needed to sit out big events in Indian Wells, California, and Miami.

The 35-year-old Djokovic was able to play at Wimbledon, which he won for his 21st Grand Slam title, and earlier in the French Open, where he lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard has a men’s record 22 major singles titles.

After beating Nick Kyrgios in the Wimbledon final, Djokovic said he “would love” to enter the U.S. Open, but added: “I’m not planning to get vaccinated.” Djokovic has won three times at Flushing Meadows. His 2021 finals loss to Daniil Medvedev prevented him from being the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win a calendar-year Grand Slam.

Elsewhere: Top-seeded

Carlos Alcaraz overcame a second set scare on the way to defeating qualifier

AGiulio Zeppieri 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to advance to his seventh career ATP final at the Croatia Open. With the victory, the 19-year-old Spaniard is in his tourleading sixth final of the year . ... Seventh-seeded

Anastasia Potapova marched to her second WTA final of the season at the Prague Open after defeating Qiang Wang

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Anett Kontaveit in the quarterfinals, seeks her second WTA title after she won Istanbul in April. In the final, Potapova will meet eighth-seeded Marie Bouzkova who defeated teenager Linda Noskova 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 in an allCzech semifinal . ... Fifthseeded Caroline Garcia beat Jasmine Paolini 6-1, 6-2 at the Poland Open to advance to her 12th career final, where she’ll face Ana Bogdan. Garcia will seek her ninth career WTA title and second this year.

ETC.

Soccer: Darwin Nunez shaded Erling Haaland in their first matchup by scoring Liverpool’s final goal as they beat Manchester City 3-1 in the Community Shield. City, last season’s English Premier League champion, and Liverpool, the FA and League Cup winner, paraded their big summer signings in Leicester but it was the Uruguay international who upstaged City’s Haaland. Nunez came off the bench in the 59th minute with the score at 1-1 and his aerial presence won the late penalty from which Mohamed Salah put Liverpool in front for a second time.

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