- Novak Djokovic world’s No.1 sports star refuses to play in Indian Wells on the grounds of denial of a waiver of vaccination mandate.
- The issue has drawn the attention of the director at Indian Wells and John McEnroe who raise concern about organisation and countries reputation.
Djokovic withdraws from Indian Wells tennis after applying for a mandate waiver request as per reports. Djokovic had applied to request the waiver of a mandate to get COVID-19 vaccination by all foreigners.
It will be the fourth consecutive year that Djokovic will not play at the iconic Indian Wells tennis tournament. He withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open.
The mandate in the United States is set to expire by May 11. A Serbian Tennis star had also applied for the waiver for bypass mandate for foreign travelers flying into the country to be vaccinated for Covid-19. It has been only week since the tennis star from Serbia applied that Djokovic has withdrawn from the tournament.
When asked about the waiver of the mandate earlier Novak said:
“It’s not in my hands,” Djokovic told reporters on Feb. 22. “I am waiting for an answer. All I know is that the process is ongoing, but I am glad I have the support of the tournament directors. I just hope that the third party, which makes the decision, will think the same.”
The BNP Paribas Open will be conducted at Indian Wells Tennis Garden between 6th March to 19th March. Now Nikoloz Basilashvili who is 113th ranked will move into men’s draw after withdrawal of Djokovic who is World’s No. 1 player.
Considering Djokovic not being part of the BNP Paribas Open the men’s game is bound to face a severe blow. The game has been a major attraction for more than a decade now since the players Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer retired last year.
It is the 378th week for Novak as a no. 1 in the Pepperstone Atp Rankings. He overtook the WTA legend Steffi Graf’s record at the top of the sport for most weeks spent at the top of the sport.
Djokovic didn’t play Indian Wells or the Miami Open referred as Sunshine Double, since 2019 due to COVID-19 and travel restrictions back then.
The tournaments Indian Wells and Miami are the largest American tournaments after U. S. Open and Djokovic is the second high-profile tennis player to have withdrawn from the even after Nadal who withdrew on Feb. 28. Rafael Nadal withdrew due to leg injury at Australian Open. Djokovic won the Australian Open and secured the most Grand Slam Titles in the history of men’s tennis.
The United States Tennis Association has also spoken about the Djokovic’s waiver appeal, it said:
“The USTA and the US Open are hohopeful that Novak is successful in his petition to enter the country, and that the fans will be able to see him back in action at Indian Wells and Miami,” the statement read.
They issued a statement advocating for Djokovic to be granted the exemption and participate in the tournaments that are about to start.
Djokovic holds the best career win percentage (84.75%) at Indian Wells, having won the tournament in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Djokovic also set the tournament record with 20 consecutive wins from 2014 to 2017.
He has not played the Indian Wells since 2019 as the tournament got cancelled in 2020 and was later postponed to 2021 where he opted to not play. He later also couldn’t play in 2022 due to travel restrictions.
Considering the gap in his performance in the tournament Tommy Haas the director at Indian Wells and former World No. 2 stated last month that it would be a disgrace if he wasn’t allowed to play this time too.
He further tried getting Djokovic in the country as per New York Times with the help of multiple organisations.
John McEnroe also spoke last month saying, “it would be a damn shame” if he wasn’t able to come to U. S.
“This is a historic time in our sport, obviously, with him and Rafael both at 22,” McEnroe said. “It’s pretty interesting if you ask me.”
McEnroe added, “I think it’s a complete joke that he’s not allowed to play.”
This issue has drawn attention of most of the sports lovers and it is international issue to know whether he will play this year or not.
To all the mess Djokovic also responded saying that he is willing to bear the cost of not being able to play against vaccination.
