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Djokovic Hopes to Play in US despite Being Unvaccinated

Novak Djokovic speaks during a news conference in Belgrade, Serbia February 22, 2023. (Reuters)
Novak Djokovic speaks during a news conference in Belgrade, Serbia February 22, 2023. (Reuters)
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Djokovic Hopes to Play in US despite Being Unvaccinated

Novak Djokovic speaks during a news conference in Belgrade, Serbia February 22, 2023. (Reuters)
Novak Djokovic speaks during a news conference in Belgrade, Serbia February 22, 2023. (Reuters)

Novak Djokovic has asked American authorities for special permission to enter the United States to play tennis tournaments in California and Florida despite being unvaccinated against the coronavirus, the top-ranked Serb said Wednesday.

The Transportation Security Administration has said the requirement for foreign air travelers to be fully vaccinated against the disease would be in place at least until mid-April. The tournament in Indian Wells will be played from March 6-19 and the Miami Open is scheduled from March 20-April 2.

"Everything is currently in the process," Djokovic said at his training ground in Belgrade. "I have a big desire to be there.

"I am really thankful to the Indian Wells and Miami tournament (officials) and community for their support publicly and they would like me to be able to play in their tournaments."

Djokovic is one of the most high-profile athletes who is unvaccinated against COVID-19.

Last year, the 35-year-old Djokovic was deported from Australia ahead of the Australian Open because of his vaccination status. Djokovic returned to the tournament in January after Australia lifted its strict vaccine mandate to win his 22nd Grand Slam title, tying the record with Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic said Wednesday that Nadal remains his biggest on-court rival despite the rise of 19-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who had been at the top of the rankings before a leg injury prevented him from playing at the Australian Open.

"(Alcaraz) is arguably the next biggest thing in our sport, or he’s already there." Djokovic said. "I just feel that the rivalry with Nadal is something that is difficult to eliminate.

"Nadal has been the biggest rival and he probably will remain the biggest rival I ever had in my in my career."

Djokovic reached another milestone in his tennis career this week by tying German great Steffi Gaff with 377 weeks at the top of the world rankings.

"Obviously, Steffi Graf is one of the biggest legends of our sport, both men and women tennis, and someone that I truly admire and respect," Djokovic said. "So, of course, it’s very flattering that I am able to equal her record and obviously have a possibility to break it as well the next week."

Djokovic said his next tournament will be next week's Dubai Open.

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A Penalty Shattered Palestinian World Cup Dreams for 2026. The Squad Has Inspired Hope 

Football - World Cup - AFC Qualifiers - Group B - Palestine v Oman - King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan - June 10, 2025 Palestine's Oday Dabbagh in action with Oman's Abdulrahman Al-Mushaifri. (Reuters) 
Football - World Cup - AFC Qualifiers - Group B - Palestine v Oman - King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan - June 10, 2025 Palestine's Oday Dabbagh in action with Oman's Abdulrahman Al-Mushaifri. (Reuters) 
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A Penalty Shattered Palestinian World Cup Dreams for 2026. The Squad Has Inspired Hope 

Football - World Cup - AFC Qualifiers - Group B - Palestine v Oman - King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan - June 10, 2025 Palestine's Oday Dabbagh in action with Oman's Abdulrahman Al-Mushaifri. (Reuters) 
Football - World Cup - AFC Qualifiers - Group B - Palestine v Oman - King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan - June 10, 2025 Palestine's Oday Dabbagh in action with Oman's Abdulrahman Al-Mushaifri. (Reuters) 

An engrossing qualifying journey of 16 games and the obstacles of a war came crashing down in an instant for Oday Dabbagh and his Palestinian team.

Their legacy will long continue.

Players left the field in tears in the immediate aftermath at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman, Jordan, last Thursday after their quest for a first appearance at a World Cup evaporated on a contentious penalty awarded deep in extra time. Fans looked on, stunned.

"It's very hard," Dabbagh, the team's star striker, told The Associated Press. "It was massive for us to get to the next stage — we prepared well, we had a positive atmosphere, and we had the fans with us. We gave everything, but it was gone in a moment."

Needing to win its last three Group B games to reach the playoffs for the last two of Asia's automatic spots at the World Cup, the No. 101-ranked team in the world beat Iraq in Basra in March, Kuwait in Kuwait City on June 5. Five days later, it was leading 1-0 against Oman in Jordan in the 97th minute.

The Palestinians had never been in a better position in qualifying for a World Cup. Then Oman was awarded, and scored, a penalty to make it 1-1 in the last real act of the game.

Not long after the dejected players had picked themselves up, the Palestine Football Association (PFA) made an official complaint to soccer's world governing body, FIFA, about the penalty. It didn't change the fact, however, that the long road trip was over.

"We tried to put smiles on the faces of Palestinians amid their great pain," head coach Ihab Abujazar said. "The heroic players are our pride and glory, a symbol of all that is beautiful in the Palestinian nation."

Playing Away

It may have been different if the Palestinian team, admitted into FIFA in 1998, was able to play home games in front of its fans in Gaza or the West Bank in the third round of qualifying. The Israel-Hamas war meant that couldn't happen. And so, the many of the team's home games have been taking place in the nearby Jordanian capital of Amman, home to a large community of Palestinians.

"It is easier to play in your home," Dabbagh, who helped Aberdeen win the Scottish Cup last month, said. "But the circumstances there are so difficult so we choose to play in Amman as it is close to Palestine, the people are the same, and we have a lot of fans there."

There's been no domestic soccer in the Palestinian territories since the war started in 2023. Hundreds of athletes are among the more than 55,000 Palestinians killed in the conflict and sports facilities have been destroyed.

"Everything that goes on makes us all sad," Dabbagh said. "As players, we try to focus on football during the games, but we use what is happening as motivation to bring happiness to the people of Palestine."

All but two of the roster of 27 national squad players are contracted to foreign clubs either in the region or in Europe, a change from the start of the conflict when a number of players weren't able to leave the West Bank or Gaza to report for international duty.

Over the past year or so, the Palestinian squad has assembled for training camps in Algeria, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to prepare for World Cup qualifying.

The top two teams in each of three Asian groups in the third round earned direct spots for next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The third- and fourth-place teams in each group advanced to a playoff for two more places. A win would have secured fourth spot in the group for the Palestinians. The last-minute draw meant they finished a point behind Oman in fifth.

What's next? Now their focus has to shift to the 2027 Asian Cup, which will take place in Saudi Arabia. The Palestinian team has already qualified for the tournament.

Dabbagh is ready to show that the team is set to remain a force in Asian soccer and continue to be ambassadors for millions of people.

"We will keep using football as a message to show the world that there are other things in Palestine" he said. "We will keep going. The dream is not over, it is just delayed."