Indian Wells, the Masters event that is likened to the fifth Grand Slam, will draw a draw today on March 6 and Novak Djokovic is still on the list as the number one seed.
The world’s number one tennis player applied to enter the US on February 14 in the hope of participating in the tournament that he won five times. During his career, Djokovic also won the Sunshine Double double title four times – consecutive championships Indian Wells and Miami in the same year.
“I know my situation. I want to play but if I can’t, I have to accept it,” said Djokovic while attending the Adelaide International in Australia earlier this year. The 35-year-old is eager to return to Indian Wells and Miami in March, having missed those two events last year.
The absence of two Masters tournaments in the US this month makes Djokovic have to wait until next month to attend the clay tournaments in Europe. The US government will lift the requirement for people entering the country to be vaccinated against Covid-19 on May 11. This means Djokovic will definitely be able to attend the Masters 1000 tournaments in North America, as well as the US Open 2023 in August.
Last weekend, US senator Rick Scott said he was trying to get US President Joe Biden to intervene so that Djokovic could be present in Miami, the Masters tournament kicks off from March 22 – three days after Indian Wells end.
“Djokovic is a world-class athlete, still competing at the top during the outbreak of the pandemic. He is not a risk of Covid-19 infection for the United States at this time,” quoted in the senator’s letter. Florida state.
Djokovic is currently in the best form of the ATP Tour this season, with a streak of 15 consecutive wins before losing to Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships over the weekend. The Serbian holds a record of 38 Masters 1000 titles and shares a record of 22 Grand Slams with Rafael Nadal.
