The Serb who rallied past NIck Kyrgios after losing the opening set of their final on Sunday, is currently banned from entering the US due to his stubborn refusal to take the COVID jab that the rest of the world accepted months ago.
After being deported from Australia in January and exiting in a Roland Garros quarter-final against Rafael Nadal, Djokovic is almost certain to find his Grand Slam season now done.
The Serb appears to be happy to not press the issue.
“I’m not vaccinated and I’m not planning to get vaccinated,” the fervent anti-vaxxer said.
“The only good news I can have is them removing the mandated green vaccine card or whatever you call it to enter the United States or (gaining an) exemption.
“I don’t think an exemption is realistically possible. If that’s a possibility.
“It’s just whether or not they remove this in time for me to get into USA.”
Assuming that the 35-year-old cannot enter either Canada or the US for August pre-US Open events, then Djokovic’s run of big events is done and dusted for 2022.
With his ranking set to plummet to seventh after standing third – due to the no-point status of Wimbledon this year due to a ban on Russian and Belarus players – the 21-time Grand Slam winner is planning some holiday with his tennis workload reduced to near zero.
“I’m on I am on vacation,” he said on Sunday after defeating Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 7-6(3). “I’ll definitely be resting for the next couple weeks.
“It has been quite an exhausting and demanding period for me the last few months.
“I got what I wanted here Then I’ll wait hopefully for some good news from the USA.
“I would really love to go there. That would be probably the next big swing, playing a tournament or two before the US Open.”
But with reality set to bite: “If that doesn’t happen, then I have to see what theschedule will look like. I doubt that I’ll go and chase (ranking) points.”
