Novak Djokovic is set to miss the Indian Wells and Miami Open ATP 1000 events this year if he remains unvaccinated against COVID-19, after United States authorities said non-nationals will need to have taken their shots to enter the country.
A statement from the Transportation Security Administration on Wednesday said the requirement for foreign air travellers to be fully vaccinated against the disease would be in place until April 10.
Indian Wells runs from March 6-19 and the Miami Open from March 20-April 2. Djokovic risks missing the two important hardcourt tournaments if he does not take the vaccine.
The 35-year-old Serb was unable to defend his Australian Open crown last year after being deported on the eve of the hardcourt major due to his unvaccinated status.
Djokovic, who has won 21 Grand Slam titles, was also not able to travel to New York for the 2022 US Open without proof of vaccination, the same reason that forced him to miss tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami.
Djokovic was free to play at last year's French Open and Wimbledon, reaching the quarter-finals at Roland Garros and winning his seventh Wimbledon title, defeating Australia's Nick Kyrgios in the final.
The former world number one has slipped to number five in the ATP rankings, and if he is unable to play at Indian Wells and Miami it will make it more difficult for Djokovic to make another bid for the top spot.
The nine-times Australian Open champion is currently warming up for the 2023 season in Adelaide for the January 16-29 Australian Open, after his three-year travel ban for the country was waived in November.
That decision opened a path for him to target a 10th title at Melbourne Park and tie Rafael Nadal's mark of 22 majors.
Djokovic, who previously stated he would miss Grand Slam tournaments rather than have the COVID vaccine, said last week that he would never forget how it felt to be deported from Australia but hoped to move on from the incident.
"What happened 12 months ago wasn't easy to digest for some time but at the same time, I had to move on," Djokovic said last week in his first news conference since landing in Australia.
Reuters / ABC
