Novak Djokovic ‘denied' US entry for Indian Wells and Miami Open, Joe Biden called to intervene

Novak Djokovic's Covid-19 vaccination saga continued as the world no. 1 was reportedly denied entry into the US ahead of the Indian Wells, scheduled to begin from Monday. The news was shared by Florida Senator Rick Scott on Twitter, where he revealed that Homeland Security rejected the player's vaccine waiver request. Scott further urged President Joe Biden to intervene and grant the waiver so that Djokovic can participate in the country.

The US has a ban on unvaccinated travelers from entering the country, and it runs until May 11. Last week, Djokovic had revealed that he had applied for a special permit to enter the North American country, so that he could participate in the Indian Wells and Miami Open.

Djokovic had an open training session last week and then held a press conference, where he revealed he had applied for a special permit. "Everything is currently in the process. I have a big desire to be there. I am really thankful to the Indian Wells and Miami tournament (officials) and community for their support publicly and they would like me to be able to play in their tournaments", he said.

The Serbian began this season with his 92nd career title at the 2023 Adelaide International 1. At the Australian Open, he dropped only one set en route to the final, where he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to clinch his record-extending 10th Australian Open title. He also tied Rafael Nadal for the Open Era record of 22 men's singles major title, and also snatched the world no. 1 ranking from Carlos Alcaraz.

On February 22, he tied Steffi Graff's record for most weeks as world no. 1, that she set back 25 years ago in March 1997. The following week, he broke the record with 378 weeks at no. 1, which is also the most of any tennis player (male or female).

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.