Novak Djokovic news: Will world No 1 be able to defend his Wimbledon title? What about the US Open?

Wimbledon

Shahida Jacobs
January 18, 2022

There are major question marks over Novak Djokovic’s participation in any Grand Slams in 2022 as the All England Club has admitted there are no guarantees that he will be allowed to compete at Wimbledon.

The world No 1 was deported from Australia on Sunday on the back of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia’s ruling to uphold Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s decision to cancel his visa for a second time.

Hawke revoked the visa on grounds that the unvaccinated Djokovic’s presence in the country could foster anti-vaccination sentiment.

And there was more bad news for the 34-year-old later in the day as France tightened their regulations as only those with vaccination certificates will be allowed to enter public places.

The French Sports Ministry confirmed that athletes will need to be vaccinated to compete in the country.

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It leaves Djokovic with potentially just Wimbledon and the US Open in terms of Grand Slams in 2022, but there are doubts over those events as well.

WIMBLEDON

Although the UK Government still allows unvaccinated overseas athletes to train and compete, the Daily Mail states “The All England Club say it is too soon to take a position and that they will adhere to government policy”.

However, the Daily Telegraph reports that the AELTC “was said to be prepared to go further than the law required when it came to its own Covid rules – as it did last year”.

Should the AELTC stick to the current status quo, it will come with a unique set of challenges for the unvaccinated Djokovic as he will have to take a Covid-19 test 48 hours before traveling to the United Kingdom.

Upon his arrival he will need to quarantine for 10 days and take Covid-19 tests on the second and eighth days of his quarantine.

US OPEN

Djokovic’s deportation from Australia could impact his chances of receiving a US visa, and even if he is cleared to travel to New York, there are further obstacles.

Non-citizens have to be fully vaccinated in order to enter the United States, but there are exceptions as you can receive a medical exemption.

However, you need documentation to state why you haven’t received a Covid-19 vaccination and at this stage Djokovic doesn’t appear to have a medical condition as he confirmed in court documents that his Australia exemption was based on the fact that he had Covid-19 recently.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also states that “religious reasons or other moral convictions” will not be enough for exceptions for vaccine requirement.

Novak Djokovic