Novak Djokovic Says He’s Preparing as If He’ll Be Eligible for U.S. Open

The 21-time Grand Slam champion is not vaccinated for COVID-19, meaning he could be barred from the tournament.

Novak Djokovic posted an update regarding his current U.S. Open preparation on social media early Saturday morning.

Although the 21-time Grand Slam champion is on the entry list ahead of the final major tournament of the calendar year, it’s still up in the air if Djokovic will be allowed to play in New York, as he remains unvaccinated for COVID-19. Right now, travelers coming to the United States must be vaccinated in order to enter the country.

“I am preparing as if I will be allowed to compete, while I await to hear if there is any room for me to travel to US,” Djokovic wrote on Instagram. “Fingers crossed!”

The same issue caused the 35-year-old to be barred from this year’s Australian Open back in January. He was even deported from Australia because of his vaccination status since the country required travelers to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

Djokovic was allowed to play in this year’s French Open and Wimbledon, which he won just weeks ago.

The Serbian is a three-time U.S. Open champion, last winning the Grand Slam tournament in 2018. He attempted to complete the calendar Grand Slam last season after winning the first three majors of the year, but he ended up losing in the final to Daniil Medvedev.

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