Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from this year’s US Open which is set to begin on 29th August. The 21-time Grand Slam champion tweeted that sadly he won’t be able to travel to New York this year.
https://twitter.com/DjokerNole/status/1562806952136085504?s=20&t=NLwxKetVmiZD4rzcoq-l5A
He wished his fellow players good luck and said he will keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to play. As earlier reported, Novak Djokovic’s hopes of making it into this year’s US Open were getting thin with each passing day.
There are no signs of any changes in US policy for the unvaccinated non-residents traveling into the nation.
Thus Novak could not travel to the US this time to compete in the championship. He withdrew his name just in time before the draw was made. His withdrawal resulted in a lucky loser being included in the draw.
US Open released an official statement after Novak’s withdrawal. The tournament director said it is unfortunate that Novak will be unable to compete at the US Open 2022. They look forward to welcoming Novak back at the 2024 US Open.
https://twitter.com/usopen/status/1562814691348344834?s=20&t=NLwxKetVmiZD4rzcoq-l5A
This is the second Grand Slam event that won’t feature Novak Djokovic. He was deported from Australia in January and could not participate in the Australian Open. He played quarterfinals of the Roland Garros in May and won Wimbledon for a record 7th time in July this year.
Consequences for Novak Djokovic from this withdrawal
Novak Djokovic won’t be able to defend 1200 ranking points at the US Open which he got after his run to the final last year. That will affect his already diminishing ATP rank. He is currently ranked World No. 6 with 4,770 official points. After the US Open, his 1200 points will be removed and his ranking will deteriorate.
Novak successfully defended his Wimbledon title but was not awarded any points for it as the ATP did not reward any ranking points at this year’s championships. His points from last year’s Australian Open were also taken down as he could not defend them in January.
He did not participate in any Masters 1000 events that took place in USA and Canada this year. Novak finished last year as the World No.1 for the record 7th time. But after all the ranking points he lost this year and will potentially lose even further, it will become a mammoth task for the Serbian to get back up.
All eyes will now be on US Open as it remains uncertain when and where Novak Djokovic might next play.
