NOVAK DJOKOVIC has been dealt another blow after the US extended their vaccine mandate for noncitizens to April ahead of the Australian Open.
The unvaccinated 35-year-old missed both the Aussie and US Grand Slams in 2022 due to their vaccination policies.
The US have extended their vaccine mandates which could see Djokovic miss Indian Wells and/or the Miami Open
And in more dramatic scenes, Djokovic was in fact DEPORTED ahead of the 2022 Aussie Open having had his visa revoked and was banned from entering the country for three years.
Aussie immigration chiefs have, however, reportedly opted to overturn the ban given to the Serbian.
Djokovic may be able to reclaim the Aussie crown that he has won nine times in January.
However, his plans of spending March and some of April in the US are looking unlikely after the country extended their vaccine mandate to April 10.
That would see Djokovic miss Indian Wells in California between March 6 and 19, as well as the Miami Open between March 19 and April 2.
Djokovic said last summer that he has “no regrets” over missing tournaments due to his vaccination status.
He said: “I don’t have any regrets. I mean, I do feel sad that I wasn’t able to play [at the US Open], but that was a decision that I made, and I knew what the consequences would be.
“So I accepted them, and that’s it.”
Djokovic was publicly criticised by fellow tennis great Rafael Nadal at the time, who says it’s important to follow the experts’ directions.
Nadal said: “From my point of view, that’s the only thing that I can say is I believe in what the people who knows about medicine says, and if the people says that we need to get vaccinated, we need to get the vaccine.
“I went through Covid. I have been vaccinated twice. If you do this you don’t have any problem to play here. That’s the only clear thing.
“The only clear thing is if you are vaccinated, you can play in the Australian Open and everywhere, and the world in my opinion has been suffering enough to not follow the rules.”
