Djokovic out of US Open due to anti-vaccination stance

It has been confirmed that Novak Djokovic will not be participating in the final Grand Slam tournament of the year because he has refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The US Open is scheduled to start on Monday, August 29, and the Serbian star's website has not included the event in his list of upcoming tournaments.

This means that the pursuit for Grand Slam titles is over for Djokovic, at least for 2022. He also missed out on the first major in Australia earlier this year in controversial fashion due to his anti-vaccination stance.

Spanish rival Rafael Nadal managed to win the event in Melbourne, along with the French Open a few months later. That brought Nadal's total to 22 Grand Slam titles, which Djokovic won't be able to match ta least until next year. After winning Wimbledon back in Jul, the Serb brought his own Grand Slam tally up to 21,only one short of the Spaniard's record.

Nadal of course, has the opportunity to open up the gap if he wins his 23rd title in Flushing Meadows.

Djokovic has remained firm on his anti-vaccination stance despite having faced humiliation in Australia. He flew in to defend his 2021 title, but was detained by the Australian Border Force before eventually being allowed to enter the country after a short court battle. However, he was eventually deported when the country's immigration minister decided to cancel his visa.

Likewise, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has banned the entry of non-US citizens who are not able to "show proof of being fully vaccinated against Covid-19." The same issue has prevented him from playing in the Cincinnati Open last week, as well as the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami earlier this year.

However, Djokovic fans will be able to see the world number 6 in action at the Laver Cup in London from September 23-25, 2022. He will be part of Team Europe led by captain Bjorn Borg. His teammates include Rafael Nadal (Spain), Roger Federer (Switzerland) and Andy Murray (Great Britain).