Indian Wells (AP) – Novak Djokovic does not play in the ATP tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami.
The former number one in the tennis world rankings justified this decision by saying that the US health authority CDC did not change its rules for entry and that he could not compete in the two events. The Serb had stated in a BBC interview in mid-February that he was still not vaccinated against the corona virus.
He was seeded number two in the Indian Wells top-flight event. Due to the withdrawal, the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrow is now in the seeding list. The day before, the organizers of the Masters 1000 tournament, where Tommy Haas is tournament director, had announced that they were in contact with Djokovic’s team and that it was unclear whether the Serb could enter the USA. The 34-year-old said he wished the participants in the tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami good luck.
Djokovic was expelled from the country just before the start of the Australian Open earlier this year and was therefore unable to defend his title in Melbourne. The longtime number one in the world traveled to Australia believing that it had an entry permit. A federal court, however, decided otherwise. Djokovic has played his only tournament this year in Dubai. There, only a negative PCR test was required to participate, but no vaccination against the corona virus.