Novak Djokovic will not be competing in the US Open 2022 as he remains unvaccinated against COVID-19 by choice. The US government requires foreign visitors to be vaccinated and Djokovic finally officially withdraw himself from the tournament on Thursday.
Currently No. 6 on the ATP ranking, Djokovic might have been waiting for a last-minute exemption as he received a lot of support, including from several American politicians who criticized the rule that prevents foreigners like Djokovic from entering the country.
However, the Joe Biden administration remains adamant about its commitment to COVID-19 protocols.
“Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open,” said Djokovic recently 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 US Open’s Instagram account also recently posted a poster with some reference to the bat signal in Batman superhero franchises that leaves out the Serbian athlete. The caption simply says, “The city is calling.”
The top contenders
According to the current ATP ranking, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud are going to be the top contenders at Flushing Meadows this time around. In addition, No. 2 Alexander Zverev will also be absent from the competition due to a recent ankle injury at the French Open.
With two Grand Slam wins this year alone, Nadal remains a household name when it comes to tennis. He won the French Open with a numb foot that was under treatment for a rare degenerate foot condition. He’s been resting since Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Masters. This would be his first US Open since 2019.
Medvedev was forced to skip Wimbledon as the All England Club banned Russian players. He won his first title of the year at the Los Cabos Open in early August and he’s now set to defend his 2021 US Open title, entering as No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
However, another one that gains the most attention this year is Alcaraz. The 19-year-old recently secured the ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami and he’s coming with confidence to win the trophy and take home the title of being the youngest ATP No. 1 in history.
“I feel that I am ready to win a Grand Slam this year. And I am not afraid to say it,” he said to Marca prior to Roland Garros. “I know that there will be great players: Rafa [Rafael Nadal], [Daniil] Medvedev, [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, [Alexander] Zverev, [Novak] Djokovic… All the best and the favorites.
“But I feel ready to win one, although you don’t know what it will happen and it is the same situation for the world number one. I hope that it happens as soon as possible.”
Alcaraz, Medvedev, and Nadal, however, need to at least reach the final to take home the trophy, and there are still Tsitsipas and Ruud to defeat.
Tsitsipas has never gone past the third round of the US Open in all his four last appearances in the franchise. However, he’ll come more packed with confidence this time after reaching the Western & Southern Open final.
Meanwhile, Ruud made a recent climb to No. 5 and is set to become the first Norwegian in Pepperstone ATP Ranking to reach the top row of the table.