CDC deals death blow to Novak Djokovic's chances of participating in 2022 US Open with updated travel guidelines

Novak Djokovic's last glimmering hopes of competing at the 2022 US Open have been dealt a death blow after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American public health agency, in its updated guidelines, did not back down on requiring foreign travelers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The guidelines, published on Thursday, make it clear that non-citizens entering the United States of America (USA) must be vaccinated before boarding any flight to the country.

"Non-U.S. citizen, non-U.S. immigrants: You must show proof of being fully vaccinated with the primary series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine before you board your flight to the United States. Only limited exceptions apply," the CDC said on its website.

This comes as a huge blow to Djokovic's chances of competing in New York. A few days ago, the CDC removed the vaccine mandate for American citizens, giving the Serbian and his fans hope that it will soon be extended to non-citizens too.

The 35-year-old has been the topic of discussion ever since the Wimbledon Championships came to an end. His unwavering stance against vaccinations and stringent American rules calling for compulsory vaccinations meant that this issue was always going to be stretched to the very end.

Many fellow tennis professionals, notably Americans like Reilly Opelka, John Isner and Tennys Sandgren, have come out in public support of the Serb.

The issue also turned wildly political, with prominent American anti-vaxxers backing the 21-time Grand Slam champion and using the opportunity to slam the US government.

"A tennis tournament and a specific player won’t dictate govt policy" - Andy Roddick on American rules barring Novak Djokovic from 2022 US Open

Novak Djokovic is a three-time US Open champion.

While several fans, pundits, politicians and players sided either with Novak Djokovic or the US government's rules, Andy Roddick on Tuesday gave a measured take on the situation. He stated that no player or tournament will dictate government policy, referring to the Serbian's ongoing battle to take part in the 2022 US Open.

He tweeted his thoughts after a fan stated that the former World No. 1 would never publicly support Djokovic.

"Probably true. I think he should be able to play, but spamming all things US Open is useless. Throwing your toys all over twitterverse won’t change the govt policy.A tennis tournament, and a specific player won’t dictate govt policy. You can be mad at me for basic facts if needed," he wrote.

Expand Tweet

That said, the Serbian himself seems resigned to the fact that he'll miss a second Major this year, after being forced to skip the Australian Open in January. The three-time US Open champion usually releases his schedule on his website well ahead of time but has not listed the US Open currently.