Novak Djokovic He will not be able to defend his position as world number 1 in the Indian Wells 1,000 Masters that begins this Wednesday and neither in Miami (March 22) since he did not receive special permission to enter the United States for not being vaccinated against the coronavirus.
The absence of the Serbian tennis player leaves open the option to Carlos Alcaraz to temporarily regain first place in the world if he wins the title in Indian Wells. In the ATP ranking from this monday Djokovic adds the 379 week in front of it with 7,160 points followed by the Murcian tennis player with 6,420 points. alcaraz He plans to reappear in the Californian tournament after the hamstring injury he suffered in the final of the Acapulco tournament that he lost to Cameron Noriand.
The Serbian tennis player announced his withdrawal before the draw for the draw this Monday. Djokovic He had requested a special visa from the US authorities to be able to play on the US tour, supported by the American Tennis Federation (USTA), organizer of the US Open, along with those responsible for Indian Wells and Miami.
“Novak Djokovic is one of the greatest champions our sport has ever known. The USTA and the US Open hope that he will be successful in his application to enter the country, and that fans will be able to see him in action, ”they announced.
Biden’s silence
Last week the senators rick scott and marco rubio They sent an official petition to the President of the United States himself, Joe Biden, to allow Djokovic to enter, who has not had a positive response. The Serbian tennis player will not be able to enter the country until May 12.
The last game that Djokovic played in the United States was in the final of the 2021 US Open that he lost to the Russian Daniil Medvedev. Since then he has been unable to play in Indian Wells, Miami, Canada, Cincinnati and US Open 2022 last year and now again in Indian Wells and Miami.
The Serbian tennis player had started the season by winning the tournaments in Adelaide and the Australian Open, where he added his 22nd Grand Slam, chaining a streak of 21 consecutive victories that ended with the defeat in the semifinals of the Dubai tournament last Friday against Medvedev.
Djokovic He will now have to vary his plans and prepare for the European clay court tour in which he will debut in Monte Carlo (April 9) with the goal set at Roland Garros (May 28).