NOVAK DJOKOVIC (SRB) TENNIS , AUSTRALIAN OPEN SERIES, MELBOURNE PARK, MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, GRAND SLAM, HARD COURT, OUTDOOR, ITF, ATP, WTA, 2021, © TENNIS PHOTO NETWORK
Novak Djokovic is expected to miss the tournament due to vaccination regulations
The Indian Wells Masters qualifying round matches are already underway. The tournament is scheduled to take place on 7-20 March. Novak Djokovic has been placed in the Men’s singles draw to the utter surprise of fans.
The Serbian’s participation though is however uncertain owing to the vaccination regulations. According to the U.S Government policies, unvaccinated players cannot take part which implies Djokovic is unlikely to participate unless there is a change in-laws.
Djokovic has a rigid stance on vaccination. He had earlier said missing competitions such as the French Open over his jab status is a price that he’s willing to pay. “I was never against vaccination but I’ve always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body”, said the 20-time Grand Slam Champion in an interview to BBC.
Novak Djokovic has been widely criticised by the media and the general public. The stance to not get vaccinated has done his image no good. On top of that, there were allegations that Djokovic attended a party with children and was later Covid positive and still travelled to Australia. Djokovic has been very quiet so far on all the allegations and speculations.
Twitter users had mixed reactions to this development. While Djokovic fans see a ray of hope that they might see their favourite superstar in action, a certain section has not been very kind. “Not this again. Tennis is far more important than one person”; “If he gets special treatment and plays I will switch off and not watch any matches”, some of the users wrote.
Meanwhile, the Roland Garros has been boosted by the likely participation of defending champion, Novak Djokovic. Djokovic was set to miss the tournament because of vaccination regulations. However, the French authorities have announced that the vaccination pass requirements will no longer be implemented from March 14 which means Djokovic can now participate in the tournament.
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