As an unvaccinated foreigner, it looks like Novak Djokovic will be unable to enter the United States for upcoming Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami. Unless U.S. government policy changes in the next few weeks, Djokovic will be out.
In addition to the obvious detriment of missing two of the biggest tournaments on tour, the world No. 2 would be lacking matches in a major way heading into the clay-court season. Inactivity was already a problem in Dubai, where Djokovic played for the first time this season after being forced out of the Australian Open because of his infamous revoked visa.
The 34-year-old Serb advanced two rounds at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships before being upset by qualifier Jiri Vesely.
“I’m lacking a little bit of the match play,” Djokovic admitted. “You can see that; I’m still finding the groove on the court. The more matches I play, the more comfortable I get on the court. I need the match play. I didn’t have many matches at all last few months. Let’s see…. Obviously I’ll have to follow the situation, see how it goes. Wherever I get an opportunity to play, I will. Hopefully that will be soon.”
Djokovic’s next appearance could be at the Monte-Carlo Masters, which is one of the early stops on the clay-court swing. He should be able to play the Madrid Masters, as well, while his status for the Rome Masters is unclear.
“It’s up to him to decide what steps he needs to take to keep playing,” said Madrid tournament director Feliciano Lopez.
Speaking of Lopez, he remains a force on the doubles court at 40 years old despite having plunged out of the top 100 (currently 113th) in singles. The Spaniard teamed up with Stefanos Tsitsipas to capture the Acapulco doubles title on Saturday night.
The Indian Wells doubles entry list was released this past week and the Tsitsipas-Lopez duo will be back in action in the desert. Always one of the best doubles fields on tour, this year’s Indian Wells list also features Andrey Rublev and Aslan Karatsev, Jannik Sinner and Sebastian Korda, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, Pablo Carreno Busta and Carlos Alcaraz, and Dominic Thiem and Grigor Dimitrov.
On-site signups for wild-card spots will undoubtedly make the field even more riddled with singles stars before the draw is finalized.
who ya got?
I think that Djokovic will have to sit out the US hardcourt spring swing. But I am fairly sure that he will be back for most events of the claycourt season because right now most corona restrictions are lifted all over Europe. It’s possible that a negative PCR-test may be sufficient for gaining entry into most European countries.
Great doubles line up for IW….and I’ll take Rublev to win the Singles.
you never pick against Rublev…
…and right now it’s working out!
Hard to play tennis (or any sport) as a Russian these days…
If Nadal actually plays IW he’s the obvious favourite based on his form and current opposition.
Nadal is here at IW already and hitting balls
Alexander Zverev is given suspended eight-week ban and handed an additional £19,000 fine by the ATP after his Mexican Open outburst that saw him smash his racket by the umpire’s feet and shout: ‘You’re a f***ing idiot, you f***ing destroyed the whole f***ing match’
Following a review, the ATP found the 24-year-old German had committed ‘aggravated behaviour’ and issued an additional fine of $25,000 (£19,060) and an eight-week ban from any ATP-sanctioned event.
The ATP said, however, the ban and the additional fine were suspended, providing that over a probation period ending one year after the incident, Zverev does not incur any more fines for unsportsmanlike conduct.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-10588831/Alexander-Zverev-handed-eight-week-ban-fine-ATP-Mexican-Open-outburst.html