Novak Djokovic has missed his chance to star in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back. Things went against him for being unvaccinated, reportedly. This is speculation, but if reports are to be believed, then the withdrawal comes only after his application to enter the US for the event got rejected.
He had filed an application seeking special permission to compete in the events without being vaccinated for Covid-19. That ship has sailed, and so has the chance of Novak Djokovic to feature in the event. He no longer has permission to play at the ATP Masters events this season.
Organizers have issued an official statement saying that Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the tournament, making way for Nikoloz Basilashvili to enter the field.Play for the combined events begins this Wednesday after draws have been concluded on Monday. Stick around till March 19, 2023, to see who claims the title at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
The request was rejected by Homeland Security despite a request coming from Sen. Rick Scott and Sen. Marco Rubio. Both had written a letter to Joe Biden to grant Novak Djokovic permission to play. That, needless to say, did not work in their favor. An application was required to be filled out amid the Covid-19 emergency that was declared during the pandemic, not letting air travelers enter the country unless they have taken all the required doses of approved Covid-19. The emergency is scheduled to go offline on May 11, 2023. Following that, air travelers who are not vaccinated will be able to enter the country.
Notably, this is a tentative plan that may be changed based on how things work out in the US with the spread and treatment of Covid-19.
Novak Djokovic looked like he wanted to participate for a bounce-back moment after having lost in the semi-final of the Dubai Tennis Championship. He is the 22-time Grand Slam champion who would now be missing two of the biggest events on the ATP calendar.
The semi-final in the Dubai Tennis Championship was against Daniil Medvedev, where the two sets displayed a tally of 4-6 and 4-6. Novak was able to win 7 service games against 9 Daniil. Adding to this is the service points won, where Novak got left behind by a margin of a single difference with 40 against 41.
Tennis enthusiasts are keen on betting on tennis and look forward to the comeback of Novak, as he could turn the game around at any moment.
Heart-breaking, sure, since it came after a decent victory over Hubert Hurkacz, where the final tally was 6-3 and 7-5. Novak won 11 service games, while Hubert took home 8 with a total of 51 points. Novak Djokovic advanced with a total of 61 points, confident that the final would have a spot reserved for him.
