Novak Djokovic vs The Vaccine: Exactly how many tennis tournaments has Anti-Vax Djoker missed so far?

Novak Djokovic, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, might not be able to play at the US Open due to his unvaccinated status. Djokovic’s hopes of playing at the Flushing Meadows were crushed when the tournament released a statement saying that it would adhere to the US government’s rules on the Covid-19 vaccine.

Statement from US Open: The statement from the US Open read: “The US open does not have a vaccination mandate in place for players, but it will respect the US government’s position regarding the travel into the country for unvaccinated non-US citizens.”

His name, however, features in the final Grand Slam of the year, but that is routine, rather than an indication that he will be allowed to play. The US Open starts from August 29.

Djokovic’ deportation from Australia- In January 2022, Djokovic was deported from Australia after spending nearly six days in detention and finally getting his visa cancelled for the second time by Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke.

The Australian government did not allow him to participate in the Australian Open because the government felt that Djokovic’s anti-vaccine stand could have boosted anti-vaccine sentiments in the country.

Here is a timeline of tennis tournaments he missed in the first half of 2022

When Djokovic withdrew from US tennis tournaments: In March, Djokovic withdrew from the Miami and Indian Wells Masters tournament in US - the first two master events of the year because of Covid-19 vaccination rule of US.

Djokovic had himself announced his withdrawal from the two tournaments because of the CDC regulations. He said, “While I was automatically listed in the BNS Paribas Open and Miami Open draw, I knew it would be unlikely I’d be able to travel. The CDC has confirmed that regulations won’t be changing so I won’t be able to play in the US”, Djokovic said.

The 35-year-old, won his fourth straight Wimbledon Championship on July 10. He has also been a three time US Open champion. Novak had said that he was waiting for a positive news from US after his recent success in the Wimbledon Open in London, The Guardian reported.

Djokovic stood his ground: In an interview with BBC after his deportation from Australia, Djokovic made it clear that he would rather miss out on future tennis trophies than be forced to get a vaccine.

Djokovic allowed to play in French Open: Initially, Novak Djokovic was expected not to play in the French Open also because of his unvaccinated status but after France removed most covid-19 restrictions, Djokovic was cleared to play. 

However, Djokovic couldn’t win the tournament since he was knocked out by Rafael Nadal who later also went on to win the French Open 2022.