Vaccination against COVID-19 remains a requirement for international travelers.
Novak Djokovic has been banned from next week’s Miami Open after the Serb was denied an exemption that would have allowed him to travel to the United States despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19, tournament director James Blake said.
Not being vaccinated against COVID-19 remains a requirement for international travelers, but Djokovic had hoped to get special permission to enter the country.
The policy is expected to be lifted when the government ends its COVID-19 emergency declarations on May 11.
Tournament organizers said they had “exhausted all options” to secure him a travel waiver. The 22-time Grand Slam winner also withdrew from the Indian Wells Open.
“We tried to get Novak Djokovic to get an exemption, but that wasn’t possible,” Blake told the Tennis Channel on Friday.
“Obviously we are one of the leading tournaments in the world, we want to have the best players to play. We did everything we could. We’ve tried to talk to the government, but that’s out of our hands.”
Djokovic, who missed last year’s Australian Open after being expelled from that country due to his vaccination status, said he would skip Grand Slams instead of undergoing a COVID vaccination.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s two U.S. Senators were among those calling on the Biden administration to allow world number-one Djokovic to enter the United States and play in the tournament, which he has won six times.
