Novak Djokovic's win at Wimbledon Sunday gave him 21 major trophies but his quest for a record-tying 22nd likely won't go to New York later this year.
That's because international travellers are banned from entering the United States without complete vaccination against COVID-19. Speaking to reporters after the Wimbledon final, Djokovic confirmed he remains unvaccinated and as a result is ineligible to play in any tournaments in the United States, including the U.S. Open.
"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," Djokovic said Sunday, according to ESPN. "I don't know. I don't think (an) exemption is realistically possible. If that is (a) possibility, I don't know what exemption would be about.
"I don't know. I don't have much answers there."
Djokovic's vaccination status made international headlines in January when his visa for the Australian Open was denied after a court battle in which the tennis star had to spend some time in a refugee hotel. Current Australian law would still ban Djokovic from entering that country meaning his next opportunity to play a major tournament likely won't come until the 2023 French Open, which begins May 28.
With much of the upcoming hard-court schedule in North America, Djokovic told reporters he would be taking a break and determining his events for the remainder of the year at a later date.
