Novak Djokovic’s refusal to get vaccinated has been the major reason for his woes this season, and it seems like it’s far from over as the former world number one could miss the US Open, which is expected to take place less in September.

Although Djokovic’s name is listed among players expected at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, which is one of the events that come up before the Grand Slam, it is not certain that he would play there. This is coming after the US Open said that it would follow the US position regarding entry into the country. The statement from the US Open reads: “The US Open does not have a vaccination mandate in place for players, but it will respect the US government’s position regarding travel into the country for unvaccinated non-US citizens.”

Currently, the US demands that non-US citizens must be fully vaccinated before coming into the country, which means people like Djokovic would not be allowed into the country, except if he gets vaccinated before then, and the chances of that happening are very slim as he has made it clear that he would rather skip events than be forced to receive the vaccine, and he has stood by his words.

Back in March, Djokovic could not compete at Indian Wells and the Miami Open due to his vaccination status. He has also missed other events in places that require full vaccination. His vaccination status was also the reason why he could not compete at the Australian Open and was subsequently deported and banned from entering Australia for 3 years.

For now, it is not definite that he would miss the US Open as anything could happen. The US could offer to make an exemption for sports players, or they could relax their regulations just before the event starts. A lot could happen between now and September that could see Djokovic comfortably compete at the last Grand Slam of the year, but it is not likely anything would happen.

Written by: Leon Osamor