Camila Vega
Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic were on the official 2022 US Open entry lists released Wednesday, but that doesn’t mean they will necessarily play in the tournament. In Djokovic’s case, he can’t, as of now, because he’s not vaccinated against Covid-19. The singles entry lists are a formality and include all players who are eligible based solely on this week’s WTA and ATP rankings.
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Williams is there by virtue of a special ranking given to her because she has been unable to participate in the Tour due to injury; her first match in a year was last month at Wimbledon, where she lost in the first round to Harmony Tan. When asked after that defeat if she would play again, Williams, 40, said she didn’t know.
When asked specifically about returning to the US Open, where she has won six of her 23 Grand Slam singles trophies, Williams replied, “There’s definitely a lot of motivation to get better and play at home.” She missed the hard court tournament in New York last year after hurting her leg at Wimbledon. However, Williams reached at least the semifinals in each of her 11 most recent US Open appearances.
On the other hand, Djokovic, the 35-year-old Serb, missed the Australian Open in January after being deported because of his vaccination status, and has since said he will not receive COVID-19 vaccinations just to be able to participate in tournaments.
The United States does not allow unvaccinated non-citizens to enter the country, so Djokovic missed major events in Indian Wells, California, and Miami earlier this season. Besides, he cannot compete in the Cincinnati Masters next month nor the US Open, which begins August 29.
In his press release announcing the entry lists, the United States Tennis Association said:
The US Open does not have a vaccination mandate in place for players, but it will respect the U.S. government’s position regarding travel into the country for unvaccinated non-U.S. citizens.
Djokovic was able to play at Roland Garros, where he lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Rafael Nadal, and at Wimbledon. There, he won his 21st Grand Slam title. Only Nadal, with 22 Grand Slams, has more titles among men in the history of tennis. After his Wimbledon triumph, where he beat Nick Kyrgios in the final, Djokovic said he would “love” to enter the S Open, but added: “I don’t plan on getting vaccinated.”
Djokovic has won three championships at Flushing Meadows and has been runner-up half a dozen times, including a year ago. His defeat in the 2021 final to Daniil Medvedev prevented Djokovic from becoming the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win a calendar year Grand Slam.
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