Djokovic to miss Miami Open over lack of Covid vaccination

Novak Djokovic won’t play on the Miami Open after failing to obtain a waiver to enter the United States regardless of not being vaccinated for Covid-19.

Match director James Blake advised The Tennis Channel on Saturday that the world primary, a six-time Miami champion, was denied entry regardless of the perfect effort of match officers.

“We did all we might. We tried to discuss to the federal government nevertheless it’s out of our fingers,” Blake stated forward of the beginning of the match subsequent week.

“We tried and he wasn’t in a position to play, similar end result as he had in Indian Wells.”

Djokovic was not allowed a spot within the ongoing Masters 1000 occasion within the California desert.

“We would love to have him and he is our biggest champion, six occasions right here, so we would clearly love to have him right here however sadly that is means above my pay grade,” Blake stated.

Djokovic has missed different occasions due to being unvaccinated towards Covid, however was allowed to compete on this 12 months’s Australian Open and gained his tenth crown at Melbourne for his twenty second profession Grand Slam title — degree with Spain’s Rafael Nadal for the all-time males’s file.

“We exhausted all of the choices that we all know of that we are able to deal with,” Blake stated. “Hopefully Novak will likely be again subsequent 12 months.”

US authorities are anticipated to ease vaccination entry necessities in Might, which might permit Djokovic to play on the US Open.

“Hopefully he will likely be again most likely in all of the later occasions within the States, Cincinnati and the US Open,” Blake stated.

Djokovic has not performed in Miami since a fourth-round exit in 2019.