Tennis champion Novak Djokovic confirmed on Wednesday that he had applied for an exemption to far-left President Joe Biden’s ban on allowing foreigners into America who have not ingested coronavirus vaccine products in an attempt to participate in multiple high-profile tennis tournaments from which he has been banned under Biden.
Djokovic is one of the world’s most visible personalities confirming publicly that he has not received a coronavirus vaccination and does not intend to in the near future. As professional tennis requires frequent international travel, his rejection of the vaccine products has harmed his career, making it impossible for much of the past year for Djokovic to travel to major events. Djokovic is a citizen of Serbia.
Vaccination requirements most disastrously hurt Djokovic in early 2022, when he attempted to travel to Melbourne, Australia, for the Australian Open, one of tennis’s four most prestigious tournaments, known as Grand Slams. Djokovic landed in Melbourne with what the Australian government later confirmed was a valid visa for entry, but was abruptly detained and imprisoned in a migrant detention facility. After multiple appeals – and growing protests by Australian Serbs outside of the facility – the government of then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison deported Djokovic on the grounds that his presence in the country would excite “anti-vaccine sentiment.”
This year, under a new prime minister but still unvaccinated, Djokovic entered Australia without incident and won his tenth Australian Open. He has won 22 Grand Slams as of this month, tying Spanish player Rafael Nadal for most men’s singles Grand Slam championships ever.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia poses with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup in the gardens of Government House the morning after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in the men’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Djokovic is currently the top-ranked men’s tennis player in the world, a full 16 years older than the second-ranked player, 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.
Entering America would allow Djokovic to play in the Indian Wells tournament in early March, held in California, and the Miami Open at the end of the month. America’s Grand Slam tournament, the U.S. Open, typically begins in the last week of August.
Two Grand Slams are scheduled to occur before the U.S. Open: Roland Garros (the French Open) and the Championships and Wimbledon. Both France and the United Kingdom allows Djokovic to enter last year; Djokovic won the 2022 Wimbledon men’s singles trophy.
Biden’s ban on unvaccinated foreign citizens kept Djokovic out of the U.S. Open last year despite tournament organizers emphasizing they did not ban unvaccinated players from the championship.
“Everything is currently in the process. I have a big desire to be there,” Djokovic told reporters in his native Serbia on Wednesday, referring to America. “I am really thankful to the Indian Wells and Miami tournament [officials] and community for their support publicly, and they would like me to be able to play in their tournaments.”
Djokovic confirmed that he applied to enter the country but did not have any answers for the press.
“It’s not in my hands, I am waiting for an answer. All I know is that the process is ongoing, but I am glad I have the support of the tournament directors. I just hope that the third party, which makes the decision, will think the same,” he reportedly said.
Prior to Indian Wells, Djokovic confirmed he would participate in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, traveling to the United Arab Emirates shortly.
The Biden administration has long banned foreign nationals from entering the country without proof of ingesting a coronavirus vaccination product. Biden announced an end to the formal emergency declaration for the coronavirus pandemic in May, which many expect will lift the requirements on foreign travelers, but the White House has not confirmed that is the case and the status of the mandate by the time Indian Wells begins is currently unclear.
The White House has also attempted to impose vaccine mandates on American citizens by forcing businesses to enforce them, a move the Supreme Court struck down last year. Biden’s policies have triggered a years-long outcry from Americans who have noted that foreigners illegally crossing the southern border are not beholden to any vaccine mandate and the Biden administration has done little to control the chaotic situation at the border, instead enforcing its mandate against people like Djokovic who pose a limited, at most, coronavirus infection threat.
“If you are a non-U.S. citizen who is a nonimmigrant (not a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, or traveling to the United States on an immigrant visa), you will need to show proof of being fully vaccinated against [Chinese coronavirus] before you travel by air to the United States from a foreign country,” the website of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reads as of Thursday.
“Some categories of noncitizen, nonimmigrants are excepted from this requirement,” it adds. “If you meet the criteria for one of these categories, you will need to fulfill additional requirements to travel by air to the United States.”
“The Presidential Proclamation and CDC’s Amended Order do not apply to immigrants (including Special Immigrant Visa holders),” the website clarifies.
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