Any grand slam tournament would normally have Novak Djokovic as one of the favorites, especially when he had just won one of the four major championships.
After beating Nick Kyrgios in the championship match on Sunday, the Serbian won his fourth Wimbledon trophy in a row and his 21st grand slam.
In a strange turn of events, Djokovic will drop from No. 3 to No. 7 even though he won Wimbledon. This is because ranking points won’t be given out this year because Russians and Belarusians aren’t allowed to play.
Djokovic’s near future is still unknown, though, at this point. His participation in the next grand slams in Australia and the US has been called into question as a result of his anti-Covid-19 immunization stance.
After having a difficult few months off the court, Djokovic’s performance suffered.
After a protracted ordeal that included time spent in custody and prohibiting Djokovic from competing in the Australian Open due to his refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the Serbian tennis player was ultimately deported from Australia in January.
Due to the circumstances surrounding his deportation, Djokovic might face a three-year exclusion from Australia under Australian law, though Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews could not completely rule out an exception. She declared in January that every application would be evaluated on its own merits.
Even though he came back to play tennis slowly but steadily, the former world No. 1 said he had to “weather a storm” at the time.
Coach and 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic hailed Djokovic’s resilience in the wake of a “difficult year.” Djokovic has won 21 grand slam titles overall.
Despite his comeback to the field of play in a few tournaments, his stance against the COVID-19 immunization has prevented him from competing in others.
Since every non-US citizen must have received a full COVID-19 vaccination in order to be granted a visa and enter the country, he has missed tournaments in the US all year long, including Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
The US Open, which will start on August 29, would not allow him to participate as of right now since he has not received the required vaccinations.
Even though Djokovic said he would “really love” to play at Flushing Meadows, he didn’t seem too sure about it given how things are right now.
The 35-year-old wouldn’t be able to play in the 2023 Australian Open because of how visa rules work in that country.
That may imply that Djokovic, one of the best tennis players in history, would play his next grand slam match in May 2023 at the French Open.
He is still one grand slam championship short of Rafael Nadal’s record of 21, and he has stated that the biggest events would be his main emphasis in the future.
