"Shameful to not use their influence, are they afraid of backlash?" - Seth Dillon blasts Novak Djokovic's colleagues for not standing up for the Serb
With the date for the US Open closing in, support for Novak Djokovic is growing by the day. The last Grand Slam event of the year is scheduled to begin on August 29, with the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Masters to be held over the next couple of weeks.
In June, the U.S. government released fresh rules and regulations for COVID-19 in the country. The new guidelines make it compulsory for all foreign travelers to produce proof of double vaccination against the coronavirus when entering the US. This means that Djokovic, who has decided not to get vaccinated, will miss his second Grand Slam tournament of the year.
USA, #LetNovakPlay
That's it, that's the tweet 😊
#NoleFam #Djokovic #USOpen https://t.co/06Cv1aPXRO
In January, the 35-year-old was deported from Australia a day before the Australian Open kicked off for the same reason. He found a lot of support from around the world at the time, just like he is getting nowadays.
Fans in huge numbers are trying to create pressure on the U.S. government to change its rules so that the 21-time Grand Slam champion can participate in New York.
In a couple of tweets, Seth Dillon, the CEO of the news website, The Babylon Bee, has criticized and called out the rest of the active tennis players for not speaking up for the Serb.
His first tweet was:
"Are there any active tennis players urging the U.S. to let @DjokerNole play or nah?"
Dillon followed it up with:
"Are they afraid of backlash? They have more influence than the rest of the tennis community combined. Shameful to not use it."
Are there any active tennis players urging the U.S. to let @DjokerNole play or nah?
@pavyg @LaverCup @RafaelNadal @rogerfederer @andy_murray Are they afraid of backlash? They have more influence than the rest of the tennis community combined. Shameful to not use it.
Dillon raised his voice a few days ago as well, when he stated that the three-time US Open champion was allowed to play last year without vaccination, so he should not be banned this time.
Novak Djokovic is hopeful of participation at the US Open
After winning the first three Majors last year, Novak Djokovic was aiming to complete the Calendar Slam at the 2021 US Open. However, he was stopped by World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, who crushed the Serb 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to lift his maiden Grand Slam trophy.
Djokovic is once again training hard and preparing for the upcoming edition of the tournament, in the hope that he will be allowed to take part. The World No. 6 recently took to Instagram to thank fans for their support, while hoping to receive good news from the US.
"I just wanted to take a moment and say to all of you how grateful I am to see so many messages of support and love from all around the world these days. I wasn’t expecting it, and that’s why it feels so mindblowing. Just wanted to say Thank You. I'm preparing as if I will be allowed to compete, while I await to hear if there is any room for me to travel to US. Fingers crossed," Djokovic wrote.