Novak Djokovic US Open saga takes fresh twist as USA confirms Covid rule changes | Tennis | Sport

The Wimbledon champion has made no secret about his reluctance to be vaccinated and his decision has had an adverse effect on his tennis career. The Serbian was deported from Australia ahead of the Australian Open earlier this year after his visa documentation was deemed to be incorrect.

Djokovic has been continuing to train as normal in preparation for the tournament in the hope he will be able to play. He won Wimbledon in July and recently featured in an exhibition tournament in Bosnia.

But it seems he will be left at home and will therefore have to wait for the chance to level with Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Slams. Likewise, it remains possible that Nadal will fail to recover in time from an abdominal injury, meaning the ‘Big Three’ would be absent from the tournament for the first time since.

Djokovic did play at the US Open last year only to suffer defeat in the final at the hands of Daniil Medvedev, now ranked as the world No 1 in men’s tennis. But the three-time winner of the competition, who last triumphed at Flushing Meadows in 2018, now looks likely to be denied the chance to add to his titles.