Sports Desk
ISLAMABAD: World’s top male tennis player, Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the draw for the Indian Wells tournament, according to the organisers, a move which indicates that the Serbian’s application for a Covid-19 vaccine waiver to be allowed entry into the United States was not approved.
Djokovic, one of the top athletes who remained unvaccinated against the virus, last month applied to the US government for special permission to play in ATP Masters events at Indian Wells and Miami.
Organisers said in a statement on Sunday that top-ranked Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the 2023 BNP Paribas Open, adding “With his withdrawal, Nikoloz Basilashvili moves into the field.”
Unvaccinated foreigners are currently not allowed to enter US, a policy likely to be lifted after the Covid-19 emergency declarations are lifted off on May 11.
Djokovic did not compete at the back-to-back ATP Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami which are two of the biggest tournaments on the ATP calendar, known as the “Sunshine Double”, since 2019.
No one from Djokovic’s team has commented on the withdrawal yet.
Florida Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, in a letter last Friday, urged US President Joe Biden to grant the waiver request. Meanwhile, Indian Wells tournament director Tommy Haas, the US Tennis Association and the US Open also hoped that Djokovic would be allowed to enter.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion would have been a strong favourite to claim his sixth Indian Wells title when the event begins in the Southern California desert on Wednesday.
Would rather skip Grand Slams than having a COVID-19 shot: Djokovic
Djokovic was deported from last year’s Australian Open because of his unvaccinated status and was also barred entry into the US for the 2022 edition of the US Open.
He has said he would rather skip Grand Slams than have a COVID-19 shot.
