On the eve of the draw, Novak Djokovic withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, indicating that his attempt to visit the United States while uninfected had probably failed.
The Serbian withdrew, according to BNP Paribas Open, on Sunday evening. In the draw, Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia took his spot.
The top-ranked male tennis player in the world, Djokovic, revealed to reporters last month that he had requested permission from the government to enter the country in order to compete in two forthcoming tennis events, despite travel regulations barring him from doing so until mid-April.
The Transportation Security Administration extended its demand that international travelers show proof of immunization through April 10 in January.
Djokovic last competed in the United States in 2021, when he lost to Daniil Medvedev in the 2021 U.S. Open final. He is not immunized against COVID-19. Since 2019, Djokovic hasn’t competed in both Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the same calendar year.
Last week, the U.S. Open tweeted that officials from the competition and the United States Tennis Association were “hopeful” that Djokovic’s appeal to enter the nation had been “successful.”
Just one U.S. tournament is scheduled for April, while several will be held in July and August ahead of the 2023 U.S. Open. That annual Grand Slam will be held from Aug 28 through Sept. 10 in Flushing, N.Y.
