Novak Djokovic fans protest ahead of US Open; urge US govt to end vaccine travel mandate

Ahead of the US Open 2022, a group of Novak Djokovic fans protested outside the Arthur Ashe Stadium, urging the United States government to end the vaccine travel mandate. Since non-US citizens are required to provide their vaccination proof at the time of entry to the country, the Serbian was forced to withdraw from the tournament.

US Open: Novak Djokovic fans protest

As seen in the Tweet put up by French journalist Quentin Moyent, a small group of Novak Djokovic fans were seen protesting outside Arthur Ashe Stadium. One banner read, 'Novak's body, Novak's choice', while another read, 'A travel ban for unvaxxed foreigners is discrimination.'

Meanwhile, some other fans put up banners, where they urged the United States government to end the travel mandate with immediate effect.

Novak Djokovic withdraws from US Open

Shortly after it became evident that the United States government would stick to their COVID vaccination protocols at the time of immigration, 21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic took to his official social media account to announce his decision to withdraw from the tournament.

His post read, "Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open. Thank you NoleFam for your messages of love and support. Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again. See you soon tennis world!"

Meanwhile, the US Open also released a statement where they made it clear that the Serbian would not be able to participate due to his vaccination status.

Following Djokovic's decision to withdraw from the Grand Slam, tournament director Stacey Allaster said in a statement, "Novak is a great champion and it is very unfortunate that he will be unable to compete at the 2022 US Open, as he is unable to enter the country due to the federal government's vaccination policy for non-US citizens. We look forward to welcoming Novak back at the 2023 US Open."