Notable absentees in the US Open 2022 draw: Where were Novak Djokovic & Roger Federer when the draw was announced?

In what was an unfortunate scenario for the tennis world, neither Novak Djokovic nor Roger Federer was present in New York when the US Open released the draw for the last Grand Slam event of the year on Thursday.

While the Serb announced his withdrawal earlier in the day due to his unvaccinated status against COVID-19, the Swiss maestro is yet to fully recover from a knee injury and is expected to be back at the Laver Cup in September. So, where were the two members of the Big 3 on the day the draw was released?

The 21-time Grand Slam winner was at home in Belgrade, Serbia, getting ready to attend a basketball match with his son Stefan. The match in question was a clash between Serbia and Greece at the Stark arena for the World Cup 2023 European qualifiers. In a must-win situation, Serbia defeated Greece 100-94. Just hours after pulling out of the US Open, Djokovic was seen enjoying his team's victory.

Meanwhile Novak Djokovic is enjoying a basketball match between Serbia and Greece, right after withdrawing from U.S Open. He's not crying somewhere alone as most of you think he might be. https://t.co/QAsxV2DbfU

Novak Djokovic's arch rival Federer was also at home in Basel, Switzerland, gearing up to attend a match of his favorite football team — Fussball Club Basel 1893, also known as FC Basel. The Europa Conference League match was held between FC Basel and Bulgarian football club CSKA Sofia at Basel's St. Jakob-Park sports stadium. The 20-time Grand Slam champion enjoyed his team's 2-0 win along with the players in the locker room.

Roger Federer has always been a fan of the club

Rafael Nadal is the only Big-3 member who will compete at the US Open, which begins on August 29, Monday. At the start of the season, all three players were tied with 20 Majors each. While Nadal won the Australian Open and French Open, Djokovic conquered Wimbledon to move ahead of Federer.

Novak Djokovic withdraws from the US Open

Ever since Novak Djokovic won his seventh Wimbledon title last month, the biggest debate in the tennis world has been whether he will be able to compete at the US Open or not. In June, the US Government announced that foreign visitors can enter the country only by showing proof of vaccination against the coronavirus.

This meant that the Serb would miss the entire US Open swing due to his refusal to get the jab. Before the draw for the Grand Slam event was made public on Thursday, the 35-year-old officially withdrew from the tournament. Djokovic took to social media to thank his fans, while promising to remain in positive spirits amidst the controversy.

"Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open. Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support. Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again. See you soon tennis world," Djokovic tweeted.

Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open. Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support. ❤️ Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again. 💪🏼 See you soon tennis world! 👋🏼