No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeSportDjokovic set for US Open after vaccine mandate lifted

Djokovic set for US Open after vaccine mandate lifted

Novak Djokovic will be free to play in this year’s US Open after the United States government confirmed it is lifting its Covid-19 vaccine mandate on international travelers.

Djokovic, one of the highest profile athletes to remain unvaccinated, has not been able to play in the United States since the vaccine mandate came into effect in November 2021.

The 35-year-old world number one last played the US Open in 2021, when his bid to complete a calendar year Grand Slam ended in defeat in the final to Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.

Since then Djokovic has been a glaring absentee from US tennis tournaments due to the travel mandate.

The 22-time Grand Slam singles winner applied unsuccessfully for a special exemption to enter the United States to play this year’s Masters events at Indian Wells and Miami.

US Open organizers, as well as the US Tennis Association, both called for Djokovic to be granted an exemption.

US tennis great John McEnroe was one of several who questioned the decision to continue to bar Djokovic from the United States, noting that the Serb played the US Open in 2021 when the pandemic was still raging.

“He played (the US Open) in 2021 and then wasn’t allowed to play in 2022, someone explain that to me,” McEnroe said earlier this year. “And now he’s still not permitted to play? It’s absurd.”

Djokovic was also infamously deported from Australia last year and missed this year’s Australian Open due to his vaccine status.

However, on Monday, the White House confirmed that its vaccination requirement for travelers entering the United States would be lifted on May 11.

More than a million people died from Covid-19 in the United States.  However, the White House noted that the pandemic had been all but stopped.

“Since January 2021, Covid-19 deaths have declined by 95 percent and hospitalizations are down nearly 91 percent. Globally, Covid-19 deaths are at their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic,” the White House said in a statement.

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Pride March 2025 Defies Restrictions and Celebrates Diversity

A large crowd gathered in Paseo Colón, San José, to participate in the LGBTIQ+ Pride March 2025. It began at noon, as people marched...

El Salvador Slams Paris Fashion Show Inspired by Cecot Mega-Prison Inmates

The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, joked on Saturday that he could send inmates from his mega-prison to France, after they were represented...

Costa Rica Pushes USA to the Brink but Falls in Penalty Heartbreak

If you just caught the end of the USA vs. Costa Rica Gold Cup quarterfinal, you probably feel like you need another cup of...

Costa Rica’s Cutris Mining Bill Threatens Massive Environmental Damage

Costa Rica’s government is pushing a controversial bill that could open the entire Cutris district in San Carlos—848 square kilometers—to open-pit gold mining. The...

Celso Gamboa Allegedly Ran Drug Ring with Costa Rican Government Ties

Celso Gamboa, once Costa Rica’s Security Minister and a Supreme Court judge, now faces extradition to the U.S. for leading a major cocaine trafficking...

Guatemala Offers Asylum to Nicaraguan Migrants Deported by U.S.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo announced on Friday that his country will grant asylum to Nicaraguan migrants deported by the United States who do not...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica