Novak Djokovic could miss US Open despite relaxation in US travel rules amid pandemic

Novak Djokovic could miss a second Grand Slam tournament this season - the US Open - due to the United States' continued ban on non-vaccinated international travelers. If there is no relaxation in the guidelines over the next two months, Djokovic looks set to miss participation in yet another hardcourt Major.

On Friday, the US authorities announced that international travelers would no longer require a negative coronavirus (COVID-19) test to enter the country. However, the requirement for a 'full vaccination status' still stands with no indication of how long that rule will stand.

As it stands, Novak Djokovic's reluctance to take the coronavirus vaccine rules him out of the fourth and final Grand Slam of the season, played in New York City. The Serb already missed the Australian Open earlier this year, where he has won nine titles.

While vaccinations have become a necessity for tennis players to travel and play in tournaments (based on the respective country's guidelines regarding non-vaccinated travelers), Djokovic has expressed his wish not to take the vaccine.

In an interview after the Australian Open row, the Serb further threw light on his opinion, admitting that he is willing to miss the biggest tournaments if they require compulsory vaccination for participation.

"Yes, that is the price that I'm willing to pay...I was never against vaccination. But I've always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body. I understand that globally, everyone is trying to put a big effort into handling this virus and seeing, hopefully, an end soon to this virus," Djokovic expressed.

Earlier this year, the Serbian superstar missed the first of two hardcourt tennis swings that take place in the US every year due to his unvaccinated status. The former World No. 1 missed two ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami, where he has won a combined 11 titles.

He was a finalist at last year's US Open, losing to Daniil Medvedev in the finals, and thus lost his chance to win the Calendar Grand Slam in 2021.

How the vaccination rule in the US will affect Novak Djokovic this season

2021 US Open - Day 14

If Novak Djokovic is eventually unable to play at the 2022 US Open, he is set to drop a significant chunk of ranking points, given his appearance in the finals last year and no points to gain in this year's edition.

However, he will not lose points at the Toronto Masters and the Cincinnati Masters, both of which are build-up events to the US Open. The Serb did not participate in either of those Masters 1000 events in 2021.

Along with ranking points, he also stands a chance of dropping further behind in the race for most Grand Slam titles as well as the ATP Masters 1000s. His great rival Rafael Nadal leads the Grand Slam race with 22 titles to the Serb's 20. Nadal is also closing in for most Masters 1000 titles with 36 to his name compared to Djokovic's 38.

In the immediate future, Novak Djokovic will look to win his fourth straight Wimbledon title and close in on the Grand Slam record. Despite the end result, the World No. 3 is set to drop 2000 points at Wimbledon owing to the ATP and WTA stripping ranking points from the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.