"On May 11th he will be deemed safe, until then he’s dangerous" - John Isner takes sarcastic dig at US authorities for denying Novak Djokovic entry

American tennis veteran John Isner recently lent his support to Novak Djokovic after reports emerged that the Serbian had been denied entry to the USA due to his unvaccinated status to compete in ATP tournaments.

The US government has a prohibition in place on unvaccinated visitors coming into the country until May 11. Djokovic and his team had requested exemption from the the US authorities to be allowed into the country for the Miami Open and Indian Wells Masters. Florida Senator Rick Scott confirmed on Twitter that the 22-time Grand Slam winner's request had been turned down by Homeland Security. Scott also asked for US President Joe Biden's help in the situation to allow the Serbian legend to play in the two tournaments.

Isner, a Wimbledon semifinalist, shared a social media post and cheekily took a dig at the US government and their way of dealing with COVID-19. The 37-year-old touched upon the government's mandate of not allowing unvaccinated people until May 11 and wrote that the 10-time Australian Open winner will be "deemed safe" after May 11.

"Don’t worry guys, on May 11th he will be deemed safe enough to enter the USA. Until then, he’s far too dangerous. Do not question the science, our government has been spot on with all things Covid since the onset," John Isner captioned his tweet.

The multiple Grand Slam winner has been a staunch voice against getting the jab since the onset of the pandemic. In 2022, the Serbian was controversially deported from Australia, ahead of the 2022 Australian Open, due to his unvaccinated status. He was subsequently barred from participating in any of the ATP tournaments held in the US. He was, however, allowed to compete in the French Open and Wimbledon. The veteran withdrew his name from the US Open because of the government's vaccination policy for non-US citizens.

Novak Djokovic receives backing from USTA

2019 US Open - Day 3

Novak Djokovic received backing from the USTA and the US Open regarding his entry to the US to ply his trade in the two upcoming ATP tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami. Following the legend's request to allow him to enter the US, the official accounts of the US Open released a statement supporting the World No. 1.

“Novak Djokovic is one of the greatest champions our sport has ever seen. The USTA and US Open are hopeful that Novak is successful in his petition to enter the country, and that the fans will be able to see him back in action at Indian Wells and Miami,” the statement on US Open’s social media page read.

Djokovic recently lost to Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. The loss to the Russian ended the Serb's 20-match unbeaten streak.