Flushing, New York, July 21 (BUS): Serena Williams was on the entry list for the US Open on Wednesday along with fellow former champion Novak Djokovic, who will not be able to compete due to his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19. .
Williams, who returned to competition last month after a year-long absence, was added to the entry list for the August 29-September 29 run. 11 Grand Slams in New York have been selected in the lottery for tuning events in Toronto and Cincinnati, Reuters reports.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion fell in the first round at Wimbledon and last appeared at the 2020 US Open when the six-time winner reached the semi-finals.
Eligible players automatically enter the main draw, but that doesn’t help Djokovic much, who retained his Wimbledon title last month and is a supporter of Rafa Nadal’s 22 Grand Slam titles.
Djokovic will not be able to participate in this year’s Grand Slam finals due to current rules under which travelers seeking to enter the United States must be fully vaccinated and provide proof before boarding flights.
“The US Open does not have a vaccination mandate for players, but will respect the position of the US government regarding travel into the country for non-vaccinated non-US citizens,” the US Tennis Association (USTA) said in a press release.
Nearly 12,000 people signed an online petition asking the USTA to work with the country’s government to allow Djokovic to compete in the US Open despite his refusal to take a COVID-19 vaccine.
Djokovic won the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon in 2021, but was unable to defend his Melbourne Park title this year after being removed from Australia for being vaccinated in January.
He later said he was willing to miss out on the Grand Slam tournaments instead of taking the COVID-19 vaccine.