Indian Wells (US), Feb 10: Top-ranked Novak Djokovic is on the entry list for the BNP Paribas Open in California, where he will face a vaccine mandate.
Djokovic, who was unvaccinated against COVID-19 as of last month, was detained and eventually deported from Australia for failing to meet that country’s strict vaccination requirements.
It prevented him from defending his Australian Open title last month.
Neither the ATP nor WTA tours require players to be vaccinated against COVID-19. But non-U.S. citizens must be fully vaccinated to travel to the U.S. by plane.
Travelers are required to show a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 when traveling to the U.S. by air. Limited exceptions apply.
Djokovic is a 5-time champion at Indian Wells, where he hasn’t played since 2019. He hasn’t played a match since November. (AP)