Novak Djokovic out of Indian Wells, Miami Open
World No. 2 Novak Djokovic was famously unable to play in this year's Australian Open and was ultimately deported from that country due to his unwillingness to receive one of the safe and available COVID-19 vaccines. However, he learned last week he may be able to compete in the French Open because France is lifting restrictions related to the coronavirus and its vaccination pass.
As ESPN's D'Arcy Maine explained Tuesday, Djokovic was announced in the draw for the ongoing BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells even though it was unclear if he could enter the United States because of his vaccination status. On Wednesday, the 34-year-old took to social media to announce he won't play at Indian Wells or at the Miami Open set to start later this month.
The BNP Paribas Open also confirmed the news:
According to BBC Sport, Djokovic could return to competitive play at the Monte Carlo Masters in April. His only official on-the-court appearance of the year, to date, came at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where he suffered an upset loss to Jiri Vesely in the quarterfinals last month.
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