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Djokovic withdraws from Indian Wells because he is not vaccinated

The Serbian tennis player can't play in the tournament due to the vaccine mandate. He could lose his first-place spot in the ATP ranking.

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic / Cordon Press

Published by
Alejandro Baños

Novak Djokovic will not play in the ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells tournament. The top-ranked tennis player had to withdraw from the tournament that will be held in California from March 8-19 because he is not vaccinated against Covid-19, a requirement to enter the United States. He will also miss the Miami ATP Masters 1000, which will be held after the Indian Wells tournament. Unvaccinated foreigners will be able to enter the country as of May 11.

His case made it to Congress. Authorities denied Djokovic's request to enter the country unvaccinated to compete in both tournaments. Republican Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio asked the Biden Administration to let the Serbian tennis player enter the United States:

Djokovic is a world-class athlete in peak physical condition who is not at high-risk of severe complications from COVID-19. It seems both illogical and misaligned with the opinions of your own administration to not grant him the waiver he requests so that he may travel to the U.S. to compete in a professional event. We urge you to promptly grant Djokovic a waiver to the vaccine mandate for international visitors to enable him to compete in the Miami Open.

In 2022, Djokovic could not play any of the three ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in the US (Miami, Indian Wells, and Cincinnati) or the Grand Slam US Open due to the vaccine mandate.

His position in the ATP ranking is at risk. If Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz wins the ATP Masters 1000 in Indian Wells, Djokovic will lose his number-one ranking.

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