Novak Djokovic drops a truth bomb on his status for Indian Wells Masters, Miami Open

Novak Djokovic will not play in the United States although his name has been entered into the draw for the BNP Paribas Open, better known as the Indian Wells Masters.

The current world number. 2 confirmed development on Twitter, pointing out that his vaccination status is the main reason for his inability to play in the tournament. Because of this, he will also not be available to play at the Miami Open which is due to start next week.

Simply put, Djokovic can’t travel to the United States because he’s not vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also confirmed to him that the country’s rule requiring foreign visitors to be vaccinated will not change any time soon.

“While I was automatically entered into the draw for the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open, I knew it was unlikely that I would be able to travel. The CDC has confirmed that the regulations will not change, so I will not be able to play in the U.S. Good luck to those playing in these big tournaments,” Djokovic tweeted.

The Indian Wells Masters is underway this week, while the Miami Open begins on March 21. Novak Djokovic has only played one tournament in 2022, at the Dubai Tennis Championships where he lost to Jiri Vesely in the quarter-finals.

Djokovic made headlines in 2022 because of his Australian Open scandal. During a long fight to get a medical exemption to play at the Australian Open, he was detained and eventually sent home, with his efforts ending in vain.

Due to his lack of tournaments, he did not lose. 1 in the ATP rankings to Daniil Medvedev. This is the first time in two years that he has lost his place.

It remains to be seen whether Djopkovic will be able to play in other tournaments since he refused to be vaccinated despite the consequences it had on his career. Nonetheless, it certainly benefits him that COVID-19 vaccination mandates are being lifted in various parts of the world. On the one hand, it was recently reported that the likelihood of him being allowed to play at Roland Garros is increasing due to the said changes in the vaccination rules.