Djokovic confirms late withdrawal from ‘sunshine double’ after “waiting to see if anything would change”

Novak Djokovic has announced that he will not be competing in the 2022 Indian Wells Masters and Miami Open due to his vaccination status. 

Novak Djokovic, who was previously deported from the Australian Open in January due to being unvaccinated, had been named in the field for Indian Wells and was set to face either David Goffin or Jordan Thompson in his first match. This was despite America’s guidelines on Covid-19 which state that an individual must be fully vaccinated in order to enter the country.

However, the 20-time Grand Slam legend Djokovic posted on his Instagram story that he will no longer be taking part. “While I was automatically listed in the @BNPPARIBASOPEN and @MiamiOpen draw I knew, given the entry requirements in the US, it would be unlikely I’d be able to travel there. But as international COVID regulations are always being amended, I wanted to wait to see if anything would change.”

”The CDC confirmed today that regulations are not changing which means I will not be playing in the US. I know my fans are looking forward to seeing me play again and I hope to be back playing for them on the tour soon.”

Despite the Serbian number one being forced to withdraw from the tournaments, he still wished everyone competing the best of luck, ”Good luck to everyone who is playing in the US in these great tournaments!”

Djokovic recently made his long-awaited return to tennis in Dubai in February, where he lost in the quarter-finals to qualifier Jiri Vesely. He will again have to wait until he can play on the tour with a possible return for the French Open as the country is relaxing it’s Covid-19 entry regulations on the 14th March.

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