New York

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the upcoming US Open as he is unable to enter the country due to the United States government's vaccination policy for non-US citizens.

Djokovic is unvaccinated against covid and therefore cannot travel to the United States.

"Novak Djokovic withdrew from the 2022 US Open prior to the draw taking place this morning. The official seeding list is not determined until the draw is made. As the Qualifying Tournament has commenced, his withdrawal resulted in a Lucky Loser being included in the draw," said a statement from US Open.

The tennis legend also tweeted about his decision.

Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open. Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support. ❤️ Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again. 💪🏼 See you soon tennis world! 👋🏼

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) August 25, 2022

It is not the first time that Djokovic has faced this issue. Earlier in January this year, he could not participate in the Australian Open due to the same reason.

US Open will take place from August 29 to September 11 this year.

 Recently in July, Novak Djokovic went past Roger Federer's tally of 20 grand slam titles, clinching his 21st grand slam title after defeating Australia's Nick Kyrgios in the Wimbledon men's singles final.

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The 35-year-old Serbian is now just one title shy to equal Roger Federer's eight Wimbledon title wins and one grand slam title away from equaling Rafael Nadal's record of 22 major title wins.