Tennis star Novak Djokovic requests special permission to enter US to play in spite of being unvaxxed

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic, the number 1 ranked male tennis player in the world, is requesting special permission this week to enter the United States to play in upcoming tournaments in spite of being unvaccinated for COVID-19.

Djokovic made headlines during the coronavirus pandemic when he was banned from playing in the Australian Open due to being unvaccinated, and held for ten days in isolation until he was deported. Djokovic played in only one match in the 2022 tennis season due to his refusal to receive the COVID vaccine.

This week, Djokovic applied for special permission to enter the United States in spite of his unvaxxed status so he can participate in tournaments in Florida and California in the coming weeks. Speaking to reporters in Belgrade this week, Djokovic said the decision is not in his hands. “I’m waiting for a reply, it’s not on me… I will know soon,” he said. The tournaments will take place in March, and the US announced in January it will extend the vaccine requirement for international travelers entering the US until April 10. 

“It would be nice to see if we could maybe lift those a little earlier and have him come to play Indian Wells and Miami. I think he wants to play, so we should give him the chance. Hopefully we can have him there,” said Indian Wells tournament director Tommy Haas to Reuters. “It would be a disgrace in my eyes if he wasn’t coming to these events.”