New York, July 21 (Agency) Serbian tennis Novak Djokovic’s hopes of play at the US Open, years last Grand Slam, suffered massive bow as the organisers said it would respect the United States government’s rules on the Covid-19 vaccine. The US requires travellers to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter in the country. The Serb is not vaccinated and was barred from competing at the Australian Open earlier this year due to his anti-vaccination stance. A statement released from the US Open on Wednesday, read: “Per the ITF Grand Slam rulebook, all eligible players are automatically entered into the men’s and women’s singles main-draw fields based on ranking 42 days prior to the first Monday of the event.
“The US Open does not have a vaccination mandate in place for players, but it will respect the U.S. government’s position regarding travel into the country for unvaccinated non-U.S. citizens.”The United States Tennis Association (USTA) on Wednesday released men’s and women’s singles entry lists. Djokovic’s had been named in the entry list but that is a routine and not an indication that he will be allowed to play. The tournament in New York commence from August 29 to September 11.