John McEnroe has said it is a joke that Novak Djokovic cannot enter the USA to compete at the US Open but hinted the star should have been vaccinated.
John McEnroe has said it is a joke that the unvaccinated Novak Djokovic cannot enter the United States to compete at next week’s US Open.
Djokovic is still waiting to see if the US government will relax the mandatory Covid-19 vaccination requirement for foreign travellers. The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) decided to relax protocols within community settings two weeks ago, but no change has yet been made to the rules surrounding travel.
Time is running out before the start of the grand-slam tournament in New York on Monday (local).
Djokovic remains on the entry list before tomorrow’s (Thursday’s) draw and could conceivably hold off on a withdrawal until the day before his first-round match on Monday or Tuesday.
“I don’t think it’s fair,” McEnroe, the four-time US Open champion and Eurosport pundit, said. “I think it’s a joke. I would have had the vaccine and gone and played but he’s got very strong beliefs and you have to respect that.
“At this point, in the pandemic, we’re 2 and a half years in, I think people in all parts of the world know more about it, and the idea that he can’t travel here to play, to me is a joke.”
Djokovic’s decision to hold off on a withdrawal has had some ramifications for other players. The first alternate, Carlos Taberner, will now have to win three matches in qualifying to reach the main draw rather than claiming direct entry, while Taberner’s fellow Spaniard Pol Martin Tiffon missed out on a place in qualifying and a check for $30,000.
If Djokovic pulls out before his match, he will be replaced by a lucky loser from the final round of qualifying.
This would be the second grand-slam tournament that Djokovic has missed this year because of his refusal to be vaccinated – he was deported before the Australian Open on “health and good order” grounds after a visa mix-up. The 35-year-old Serb won his 21st major trophy at Wimbledon last month but remains one behind the men’s singles record-holder, Rafael Nadal.
“Who’s to say [Djokovic] can’t do it for another couple of years?” McEnroe said. “Let’s say that he wins three or four more. That’s not impossible by any means. Despite this, he can still get to 25.”
Originally published as Novak Djokovic should be granted entry to the US Open despite vaccination status
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