Novak Djokovic Still Not Allowed Into The U.S., Will Likely Miss Indian Wells, Miami

It’s looks like another March miss for Novak Djokovic. The World No. 1 is apparently still fighting to get into the U.S. but with Indian Wells just days away, it’s not looking promising.

The U.S. — I believe — is still the only country that requires foreigners to have proof of vaccination to get into the country, and of course Djokovic remains unvaccinated. Djokovic hasn’t played in the U.S. since his 2021 US Open loss to Medvedev.

“I’m still waiting for the news from America,” Djokovic said Friday after his loss to Medvedev in Dubai. “If there’s no America, I guess I’ll play clay. Monte Carlo is probably the next tournament. If that’s the case, I’ll take some time off, I’ll prepare.”

Obviously Djokovic at his age and status is more focused on the Slams, so perhaps this will help him for Paris. But it’s a shame he won’t be able to play at Indian Wells and Miami where I think having him competing with a now in-form Medvedev and potentially Carlos Alcaraz would have been fun to watch.

That said, I do feel like this summer things look promising for Cincinnati and New York for Novak. The U.S. will officially drop its “emergency” COVID policy on May 11 and that should pave the way toward an end to the travel restrictions hopefully not long after, if not on that very day. One arm of the U.S. government already voted to drop the requirement, and now the White House is reviewing the policy.