NEW YORK: Former world number one Novak Djokovic will miss the US Open after he said on Thursday that he will not be able to travel to New York for the tournament, having chosen not to be vaccinated against Covid.

It is the second Grand Slam the 35-year-old Serb will miss due to not being vaccinated as he was deported prior to the Australian Open earlier this year.

“Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open,” Djok­ovic wrote on Twitter. “Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again.”

The Serbian previously said he was prepared to miss Grand Slam tournaments that require participating players to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Djokovic was on the entry list for the Aug 29-Sept 11 tournament in New York.

The US Tennis Assoc­iation described Djok­ovic’s absence as “unfortunate” but looked forward to having him back next year.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2022