"Absolutely despicable, the best tennis player in the world is unable to compete because of politics" - American Congresswoman Claudia Tenney on Novak Djokovic ahead of US Open 2022
As the US Open series nears, Novak Djokovic is finding an increasing amount of support from those who want the US Government to let him enter the country. Popular American television figure Rachel Campos-Duffy and Congresswoman Claudia Tenney are the latest to throw their weight behind Djokovic.
The Serb has been included in the entry list for the 2022 US Open released by the United States Tennis Association (USTA). However, he cannot enter America right now, as the current rules call for foreign travelers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Djokovic, of course, has repeatedly made it clear that he has no plans to get the vaccine.
In that context, Campos-Duffy and Tenney have slammed the Joe Biden-Government over its rules and regulations regarding the virus. While Campos-Duffy stated that Biden needs to wake up as the pandemic is over, Tenney blamed politics for keeping the World No. 7 out.
"This is the dumbest thing ever! Can someone wake sleepy Joe up from his nap and tell him the pandemic is over? Our government continues to work for #BigPharma?" Campos-Duffy tweeted.
This is the dumbest thing ever! Can someone wake sleepy Joe up from his nap and tell him the pandemic is over? Our government continues to work for #BigPharma? dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…
"This is absolutely despicable. @DjokerNole is the best tennis player in the world who performs at an ultra elite level is unable to compete in a premier athletic event in the US because of politics," Tenney wrote.
This is absolutely despicable. @DjokerNole is the best tennis player in the world who performs at an ultra elite level is unable to compete in a premier athletic event in the US because of politics. twitter.com/RCamposDuffy/s…
According to new rules released last month, foreign travelers are no longer required to show negative test results to enter the US. However, they still must produce proof of a double dose of vaccination against the coronavirus.
The United States Tennis Association, the organizers of the US Open, have refused to seek a special exemption for unvaccinated players.
Novak Djokovic set to miss entire US Open swing
Although Novak Djokovic cannot enter America without proof of vaccination, he features on the 2022 US Open entry list due to the International Tennis Federation's (ITF) rules. According to the ITF, all eligible players are to be automatically included in the entry list based on their rankings 42 days before a Grand Slam begins.
The tournament organizers have issued a statement stating that while the US Open does not require players to be vaccinated, the tournament will respect the government's policies.
"Per the ITF Grand Slam rulebook, all eligible players are automatically entered into the men's and women's singles main-draw fields based on rankings 42 days prior to the first Monday of the event. The US Open does not have a vaccination mandate in place for players, but it will respect the U.S. government's position regarding travel into the country for unvaccinated non-U.S. citizens," the statement read.
That effectively means Djokovic will not be able to play any event in the US this year - which includes the Cincinnati Masters.