Novak Djokovic says he has no plans to get vaccinated, even if that means being barred from the US Open

Tennis star Novak Djokovic, currently ranked No. 7 in the world by the ATP World Tour, is unlikely to compete in the upcoming US Open due to the current COVID-19 vaccine mandate on non-immigrant non-citizens.

Djokovic, 35, said Sunday that he’s “not vaccinated” and is “not planning to get vaccinated,” ESPN reports. He added, “So the only good news I can have is them removing the mandated green vaccine card or whatever you call it to enter United States,” but he admitted that that isn’t likely to happen. “I don’t know. I don’t think exemption is realistically possible. If that is possibility, I don’t know what exemption would be about.”

Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios in four sets on Sunday, making it his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title victory. But the Wimbledon champion told reporters it was not clear when he will next play a competitive match, according to ESPN.

According to CBS Sports, Djokovic was previously deported from Australia in January because of his vaccine status and was unable to play in the Australian Open. Since he has no plans to comply with the US vaccine mandate, he is unlikely to compete in the US Open, which begins on Aug. 29.

“I am on vacation,” Djokovic told reporters. “Whether or not I’m playing any tournament soon, I’ll definitely be resting for the next couple weeks because it has been quite an exhausting and demanding period for me the last few months. A lot of tennis, which I was very happy about. I got what I wanted here.”

“Then I’ll wait hopefully for some good news from USA because I would really love to go there,” he added. “That would be probably the next big tournament, the next big swing, playing a tournament or two before US Open and US Open. If that doesn’t happen, then I have to see what the schedule will look like.”