Home » Sports News » “He’s made himself political in many ways” – Former tennis player hits out at fans rallying behind Novak Djokovic’s participation in the US Open

Novak Djokovic is very likely to miss the US Open as he is not vaccinated against Covid-19

Former American tennis player, Jamie Hampton has lashed out at fans rallying behind Novak Djokovic’s participation in the US Open despite the athlete not complying with the country’s vaccination rules. Hampton took to Twitter to vent out her anger on the issue. Djokovic is pretty likely to miss the US Open which is scheduled to begin on August 29.

https://twitter.com/Jamie_Hampton/status/1549951038710480898?t=HdgLUSV8PUfD_WqWiMO1vw&s=19

Novak Djokovic hasn’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 and he is likely to miss the entire North American hard court swing. Canada and the United States require foreigners to show proof of vaccination upon entering the respective countries and Djokovic doesn’t have one to show. The Canada Masters is set to begin in the first week of August in Montreal before the attention moves to the US Open in the last week of the month.

Jamie Hampton, who took to Twitter to lash out at fans backing Djokovic’s participation, is a former American tennis player, having retired from professional tennis in 2020.

Novak Djokovic continues to be rigid in his stance regarding vaccination

After winning his 21st Grand Slam title at this past Wimbledon, Djokovic was asked whether he would take the vaccine ahead of the US Open. Djokovic confirmed that he does not plan on taking the vaccine and said he won’t try to force entry into any country.

“I’m not vaccinated and I’m not planning to get vaccinated, so the only good news I can have is them removing the mandated green vaccine card or whatever you call it to enter the United States, or exemption”, said Djokovic. The Serbian further added, “I don’t think an exemption is realistically possible. I’ll wait for some good news from the US because I would really love to go there.”

Novak Djokovic
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic wears a face mask as he listens to the national anthems prior to a Davis Cup group F match between Serbia and Austria in Innsbruck, Austria, Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. (Photo/Michael Probst)

However, it seems unlikely that Djokovic will get an exemption from the US Government. After missing out on multiple tournaments including the Australian Open, Miami Open, and the Indian Wells earlier this year, Djokovic will now likely also be kept out of the Canada Masters and US Open.

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