Djokovic’s waiting game

Novak Djokovic is still waiting on to find out whether he can compete at this month’s US Open, with tournament chiefs evaluating the protocols of player safety.

Djokovic was dramatically banned from competing at this year’s Australian Open and deported from Melbourne due to his COVID-19 vaccine status.

Since then the world No. 1 had endured a stop-start campaign throughout 2022, despite most nations relaxing their rulings against the virus. US Open bosses revealed in July that they would honour the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regulations which prohibited people from entering the country without the vaccine.

This ruling however has since been relaxed by the CDC, but Djokovic’s chances of competing at Flushing Meadows in just over a week’s time still remain unclear.

The CDC is yet to update their travel advice on COVID-19 protocol and it seems, tournament chiefs are waiting on centre’s confirmation before making a concrete decision for players travelling from abroad. The US Open’s official website reveals that under the question of ‘will players need to be vaccinated?’ on their frequently asked questions section, that safety protocols for players are ‘still being evaluated’.

The website confirms: “COVID health and safety protocols for players (including any vaccination and/or testing requirements) are being evaluated and will be made at a later date, taking into account guidance from U.S., New York State and New York City governmental and health authorities.”

Whilst the Serbian star is no doubt splitting opinion in the tennis world, one man who thinks Djokovic should be able to compete at Flushing Meadows is four-time US Open champion John McEnroe. Speaking to Fox Digital, he said: “It’s BS. I think he should be allowed to play.

“My personal opinion is, I’ve been vaccinated, I’ve had a booster shot. That’s up to the individual. He’s won a lot more majors than me because he’s dug his heels in and found that will, that very few people in sport have ever found. That’s part of what made him so great, so he sticks to his guns.” – Mirror Sport.