Novak Djokovic to play US Open as Biden U-turns and Nadal gets wish

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Novak Djokovic recently got the green light to return to the US Open this year as Joe Biden U-turned on the country’s emergency Covid measures and announced that they would come to an end on May 11. It comes after fans protested last year when the world No 1 was unable to play because of his unvaccinated status, while the likes of John McEnroe and his long-time rival Rafael Nadal called for Djokovic to be able to compete.

Djokovic got the news he had been waiting for on Tuesday as the American government announced that they would be extending their emergency Covid measures to May 11 before scrapping them entirely, a decision which means he will be able to travel to the United States to compete in the US Open in August. It comes after he was unable to play last year as a result of the vaccine being an entry requirement for foreign nationals.

And the 22-time Major winner isn’t the only person who will be happy about the end of the restrictions, as he received backing from even his fiercest rivals when he was left sidelined from the tournament last year and played just two of the four Slams in 2022 because of his unvaccinated status. A group of protesters gathered outside the courts in Flushing Meadows to make their feelings known on day one of the US Open last year in his absence.

One man was filmed with a microphone rallying the crowd and shouting: “It makes no sense! Stand with Novak! Why are we still closed? Why is the US still closed? Where is Novak?” Meanwhile, other players admitted that they wanted to see Djokovic able to compete at the US Open with British No 2 Dan Evans claiming that even Nadal wished the Serb was in New York.

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“It is a disappointment that Novak is not here,” Evans said ahead of the 2022 US Open. “Obviously there is a rule but I think there can be unvaccinated players playing in the tournament. That is my understanding – if you are American, you can be unvaccinated.

“And I think the bottom line is that he would add something to this tournament. I don’t know the chats they had with the US. But I think it would have been nice to see him here. And I think people like Rafa would want him to be here so whoever does win the tournament, has won the tournament in the best possible way. But there were rules before and they have stuck to them.”

John McEnroe also slammed the rules that stopped Djokovic from entering the country to compete, branding them a “joke” at the time. “It’s not fair. It’s a joke,” the retired American pro said.

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Referencing Djokovic’s decision not to get jabbed, he continued: “I would have had the vaccine and played but he’s got very strong beliefs and you have to respect those. At this point in the pandemic, we’re two and a half years in, people in all parts of the world know more about it. The idea he can’t travel here to play is a joke.”

While it’s good news that Djokovic can return to the US Open later this year following the government’s decision to lift the restrictions on May 11, the time frame does mean that he will be forced to miss next month’s ‘sunshine double’ of Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami as the restrictions will still be in place. The Dubai ATP 500 is currently on Djokovic’s schedule – beginning on February 27 – but after that he will likely not be seen until the clay swing as a result.

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