Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic is poised to miss the Miami Open contest after getting denied a COVID-19 vaccine exemption.
Tournament director James Blake confirmed that Djokovic will miss the feted event and voiced his misgivings over the situation. Djokovic has won the tournament six times, most recently in 2016. Organizers unsuccessfully attempted to help Djokovic obtain an exemption.“Obviously, we’re one of the premier tournaments in the world,” Blake said, per Reuters."We like to have the best players that can play. We did all that we could. We tried to talk to the government, but that’s out of our hands.
A cacophony of Republicans such as Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott has urged the Biden administration to grant an exemption or change the mandate. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis similarly implored President Joe Biden to do that and even dangled the prospect of transporting Djokovic into the Sunshine State via boat.
"You know, there’s something called natural immunity, which the CDC didn’t want to recognize, but we all know is a fact of life. And so he poses zero risk to the United States, zero risk to the state of Florida," DeSantis said earlier this month."I would run a boat from the Bahamas here for him. I would do that 100%."Djokovic has 22 Grand Slam titles, tying with Rafael Nadal for the most careers titles earned. The U.S.
"Policies concerning access to the United States are determined by the White House. We are very hopeful that the policy preventing Novak Djokovic from entering the United States will be rescinded, or lapse, in the near future," the spokesperson told the Associated Press."No COVID-19 restrictions are in place at the U.S. Open for any player, fan or other attendee."
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