The 20-time grand slam Tennis Champion, Novak Djokovic has Wednesday announced that he has withdrawn from the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open due to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 travel regulations. Djokovic made the announcement on Twitter, citing the US CDC's COVID-19 vaccination requirement for foreign visitors as the reason for his withdrawal from the events, saying "While I was automatically listed in the [BNP Paribas Open] and [the Miami Open], I knew it would be unlikely I'd be able to travel,"
"The CDC has confirmed that regulations won't be changing so I won't be able to play in the US. Good luck to those playing in these great tournaments."
The Serbian champion will miss two major tennis events because he is unvaccinated and many nations require vaccines to enter except for a few like Dubai in the UAE, where only a negative PCR test was required rather than a COVID-19 vaccine.
In an additional message on his Instagram, Djokovic said "As international COVID regulations are always being amended, I wanted to wait and see if anything would change. The CDC confirmed today that regulations are not changing which means I will be not be playing in the US. I know my fans are looking forward to seeing me play again and I hope to be back playing for them on the tour soon."
The World No.35, Grigor Dimitrov will now take Djokovic's spot in the draw.
The tournament director in Miami, James Blake said "We understood from the beginning that Novak's participation at the Miami Open was determinant on his entry into the United States, which we knew would be a long shot,"
"We have an incredibly deep and talented player field, and look forward to hosting a great event."
Following his legal battle and deportation from Australia over his refusal to get vaccinated, Djokovic in February said he was willing to pay the price and to skip any future Grand Slam events if a vaccine was mandated.
