"Such embarrassing immigration policy"; "No exceptions to the rules and laws"- Tennis fans split as Novak Djokovic forced to skip Indian Wells Masters
Novak Djokovic was denied his request to be allowed entry to the United States to compete in the Indian Wells and Miami Masters. Tennis fans were divided over the World No. 1 being forced to withdraw from the tournament.
In February, Novak Djokovic sought an exemption from US immigration authorities to be allowed to enter the country without a vaccination certificate. However, his request was denied and subsequently the Serb withdrew from the Indian Wells Masters ahead of the main draw ceremony scheduled for Monday, March 6.
Nikoloz Basilashvili will replace the 22-time Grand Slam champion in the Indian Wells draw.
ATP 1000 Indian Wells has announced the withdrawal of #1 Novak Djokovic, who still cannot legally enter the United States due to his remaining unvaccinated.
Djokovic withdrew this time before the draw is made (tomorrow), unlike last year when he waited until after it was made.
Tennis fans were quick to make their opinions on the matter known. While some fans agreed with the decision, others criticized the authorities for their judgment.
One fan opined that the US immigration policy is embarrassing.
"This is such embarrassing immigration policy," the fan wrote.
@EntryLists This is such embarrassing immigration policy.
Another fan chimed in, saying that despite the rules being flawed, no one should be exempt from them.
"My take: - no exceptions to the rules and laws, for anybody - the rules and laws are dumb, extremely dumb," the fan wrote.
My take:
- no exceptions to the rules and laws, for anybody
- the rules and laws are dumb, extremely dumb twitter.com/EntryLists/sta…
Here are some more fan reactions to Novak Djokovic being unable to compete at the Indian Wells Masters:
@BenRothenberg I don't care for Djokovic at all but it's kind of silly to keep him from competing at this point.
@BenRothenberg I’m glad he withdrew in time so he didn’t impact the draw.
@POTUS and his @CDCgov @CDCDirector should be throughly embarrassed for this decision.
No scientific basis whatsoever. Purely political targeting.
Outrageous. twitter.com/BenRothenberg/…
@BenRothenberg Novak has made his personal choice. He needs to live with that choice. His denial of science and public health speaks volumes of who he is as a human being. It's a shame because he is the best player on the ATP tour right now.
@BenRothenberg He won’t be missed.
@MonkeeBread @BenRothenberg Well he is the best player in the world so year we will miss him..
@BenRothenberg And with that decision, the United States of America avoids a COVID outbreak and everyone is safe. It also goes towards curing cancer.
@EntryLists At least he did the honourable thing this time, and withdrew on time.
Novak Djokovic announced his intention to resume his season in Monte-Carlo if denied entry to the United States
Novak Djokovic recently competed at the Dubai Tennis Championships. He extended his winning streak to 15-0 for the season before falling to Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of the tournament.
During the post-match press conference on March 3, the World No. 1 revealed his intention to resume his season at the Monte-Carlo Masters if he is unable to compete at the Indian Wells and Miami Masters.
"I don't know what 'the rest' is. I'm still waiting for the news from America. If there's no America, I guess I'll play clay. Monte-Carlo is probably the next tournament," he said.
He added that he would use the time off from the tour to prepare for the clay court season as it is the most demanding surface.
"If that's the case, I'll take some time off, I'll prepare. Clay, as we've said, is the most demanding surface. It takes time more than any other surface to prepare for," he added.
Novak Djokovic has won the Monte-Carlo Masters on two previous occasions, with his most recent victory coming in 2015.