Novak Djokovic to Miss 2023 Miami Open After Being Denied COVID-19 Vaccine Exemption

Novak Djokovic's decision not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will keep him out of the Miami Open.

James Blake, director of the tournament, told Tennis Channel (h/t Reuters) that Djokovic was denied an exemption to enter the United States:

"We tried to get Novak Djokovic to be allowed to get an exemption, but that wasn't able to happen. Obviously, we're one of the premier tournaments in the world. We'd 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."

This will mark the second tournament in the U.S. this season that Djokovic will miss due to his vaccination status. He pulled out of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells before the draw as he was trying to get a waiver to enter the country.

Djokovic has been trying to receive an exemption to enter the United States dating back to last year. He was unable to compete in the U.S. Open last August because of travel guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control.

Per the current CDC guidelines, all non-U.S. citizens must show proof of being fully vaccinated with an approved COVID-19 vaccine before boarding a plane traveling to America.

Djokovic has been open about his decision to not receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

"I'm not vaccinated and I'm not planning to get vaccinated so the only good news I can have is them removing the mandated green vaccine card or whatever you call it to enter United States or exemption," he told reporters last July.

Reuters noted Florida governor Ron DeSantis and senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott were among those urging President Joe Biden's administration to permit Djokovic entry into the country for the tournament.

Despite not being allowed into the country right now, Djokovic will likely be able to travel to the U.S. soon. The government's COVID-19 emergency declaration is currently set to end on May 11.

According to Reuters, the end of the emergency declaration will lift the international travel restrictions for unvaccinated individuals.

Djokovic most recently competed in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in February. His victory at the Australian Open in January gave him 22 career Grand Slam singles titles, tied with Rafael Nadal for the most in men's history.

The 35-year-old's next tournament will likely be the Serbia Open starting on April 17.