Novak Djokovic has conceded "there is not much I can do" about this year's US Open with the star set to miss a second Grand Slam of 2022.
Djokovic, 35, will begin the defence of his Wimbledon title on Monday, when he faces South Korean player Kwon Soon-woo on Centre Court. The top seed cannot meet Rafael Nadal, who remains on course for a calendar Grand Slam, until the final.
On the contrary, it now looks like SW19 will represent Djokovic's last chance of winning a Slam title this year. He's already missed the Australian Open, having been deported out of the country the day before the tournament began following an explosive saga over his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
He did take his place in the main draw at the French Open at Roland Garros, despite his build-up being hindered by a lack of match practice. At Roland Garros, he was beaten in an epic quarter-final by eventual winner Nadal.
But the vaccination issue is now set to cost him a place at Flushing Meadows, after the US confirmed earlier this month that the legislation that required anyone entering their country to show proof of vaccination would remain in place. And speaking to reporters on Saturday, the Serbian seemed resigned to his fate.
"Well, as of today I'm not allowed to enter the States under these circumstances," he said. "I'll just have to wait and see. I would love to go to the States. But as of today, that's not possible."
And unlike in Melbourne, where Djokovic was found to have submitted false information on his immigration forms in a bid to enter the country, he implied he would be contesting matters: "There is not much I can do anymore," he added.
"It's really up to the US government to make a decision whether or not they allow unvaccinated people into the country." Of course, Djokovic's assessment that there is little he can do to change matters is open to debate, given he still has time to receive his jabs.
However, when asked if he had "completely closed his mind" to being vaccinated, the 20-time Grand Slam winner bluntly replied "yes." It puts extra emphasis on his bid to win a seventh Wimbledon crown over the next fortnight.
The iconic grass-court event has had its own issues to deal with in the build-up, following the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players amid the war in Ukraine. It's a ruling that Djokovic himself has been vociferously critical of.
"It's really hard to say what is right, what is wrong," he said. "But in my heart as an athlete, putting myself in a position where someone would ban me from playing because of these circumstances, and I have not contributed to that, I wouldn't think that's fair."
The ATP, WTA and ITF have reacted to the ban by stripping Wimbledon of its ranking points. It means that irrespective of his performance, Djokovic won't be able to regain his world No 1 ranking from the absent Daniil Medvedev.
