Novak Djokovic withdraws from Indian Wells and Miami Masters over travel ban

Novak Djokovic was put in the main draw of Indian Wells Masters. However, USA’s travel ban for unvaccinated people has compelled him to withdraw.

Fans were somewhat shocked to see Novak Djokovic being included in the main draw of the 2022 Indian Wells Masters on Wednesday. There was uncertainty over his travel to the United States of America (USA) due to the rules of the country currently not allowing unvaccinated people to enter. Now, he has confirmed his non-participation in the tournament.

Taking to his Twitter account on late Wednesday, Djokovic established, “While I was automatically listed in the @BNPPARIBASOPEN and @MiamiOpen draw, I knew it would be unlikely I’d be able to travel. The CDC has confirmed that regulations won’t be changing, so I won’t be able to play in the US. Good luck to those playing in these great tournaments 👊”

Roger Federer, Grigor Dimitrov

As the order of play has not been released yet, 33rd seed Grigor Dimitrov will be taking his spot in the competition. He will be taking on either David Goffin of Belgium or Jordan Thompson in Australia in the second round, as the first round is a bye for the top seeds. On the other hand, a qualifier or lucky loser will be replacing Dimitrov to take on his previously scheduled opponent Tommy Paul.

Djokovic’s last competition happened to be in Dubai last month, where he was ousted by Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic in the quarters. His participation in the 2022 Australian Open (AO) was denied for being non-vaccinated. His legal trial drew widespread media attention before being eventually deported, as Rafael Nadal of Spain won the tournament, thus becoming the record 21-time Grand Slam champion.