Djokovic announced his withdrawal from the tournament shortly before the draw was announced on Thursday. His stance on remaining unvaccinated meant he could not enter America to play in the US Open. The USTA later revealed that the US government is no longer accepting third-party applications for an exemption from the rules and that they could not help the 21-time Grand Slam champion.
During a segment on his show Ben Fordham Live on radio station 2GB, Fordham slammed the regulations that have kept Djokovic out of the US Open. According to him, the Serbian player just wanted to play tennis and his entry ban into the US defied logic.
Fordham further lamented that fans will miss ’the world’s best player’ at the US Open over the next fortnight.
Fordham also reflected on the Australian Open controversy involving the 35-year-old earlier this year, which ended with the nine-time Australian Open champion’s deportation from Down Under.
“That is his choice” - Ben Fordham on Novak Djokovic’s decision to remain unvaccinated
Australian journalist Ben Fordham further expressed that Novak Djokovic’s decision to remain unvaccinated should be respected. In his opinion, the three-time US Open champion’s eventual absence from the Major is counter-productive to the goodwill of the vaccine itself as one of the all-time greats is set to miss a Slam.
The Serbian tennis great’s absence means he will drop a chunk of points at the US Open, which he earned by reaching the final last year. Meanwhile, 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will have the opportunity to extend his lead in the all-time Grand Slam title race.
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