Novak Djokovic announced last month that he will not be getting vaccinated, and missed the Australian Open in January as his visa was cancelled by the Australian government.
The Serbian will miss the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open this year as US covid regulations require non-US citizens to be vaccinated before entering the country. Although the 34-year-old has been involved in the draw for both the tournaments, on Thursday, he posted on his Twitter account that he knew he could not travel and hence withdrew from both the Master Series.
Djokovic’s first tournament in 2022 was the Dubai Tennis Championships in February, where he was knocked out in the quarter-finals. The Serbian’s next tournament could be the Monte Carlo Masters which will take place in April. This has not come as a big shock, because Djokovic told he has to be in tune with his body and that he is mentally prepared to miss big events in the future., in an interview with BBC. Grigor Dimitrov, last year’s semi-finalist, will replace Djokovic as he is the latest player to be seeded outside the top 32.
Daniil Medvedev surpassed Djokovic to take the World No.1 ranking, but the Serb can reclaim his position if Medvedev fails to reach the quarter-finals in Indian Wells. Even though his rankings will not be affected, he is giving up the chance to win two big titles.
