With just one Grand Slam behind Nadal, Djokovic to miss US Open due to Covid protocol

Novak Djokovic is going to miss another Grand Slam because he has chosen not to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Djokovic announced his withdrawal from the US Open on Thursday as he cannot travel to the United States due to the Covid protocol.

"Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for the US Open," Djokovic wrote on Twitter. "Good luck to my fellow players! I'll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again," Djokovic tweeted.

Djokovic has won the US open men's singles title 3 times and has played in the finals six times. Last year he had lost to Russia's Daniil Medvedev in the final

Not getting vaccinated is costing him a lot: Djokovic has won 21 Grand Slam titles and is just one behind Rafael Nadal's record 22. This the second Grand Slam he is missing this year due to the Covid protocol. He was earlier denied to play in the Australian Open.

What would be even more annoying for him is the fact that both of these Majors are hard-court events. He has been the most dominating player on the hard court in the last one decade and has won 9 Australian Open and 3 US Open titles.

Support for Djokovic: The hashtag #LetNovakPlay has been circulating on social media as Djokovic's fans voiced their support for the former world number one. Fans had also been circulating an online petition in the hope of gaining Djokovic entry into the US while four-times US Open winner John McEnroe had said it would be "a joke" if the Serb was unable to compete due to his vaccination status, reported Reuters.

US Open's response: The US Tennis Association said that it is very unfortunate that Djokovic will not be able to play at the US Open and that they look forward to him playing here in 2023. "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," said Stacey Allaster, the US Open tournament director.

Why he chooses not to get vaccinated: Djokovic has said a few times that he was prepared to miss Grand Slam tournaments that require participating players to be vaccinated against Covid. "I was never against vaccination. But I've always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body," Reuters reported him as saying after he was not allowed to play in the Australian Open.

"Yes, that is the price that I'm willing to pay," the 34-year-old said to the BBC when asked about how not getting vaccinated is stopping him from reaching milestones.

Too close to be the GOAT: Even though he has had a tough year due to vaccine controversy and injuries, Djokovic's game has not been affected much by it. He won his seventh Wimbledon title and 21st Grand Slam with a four-set win over Australia's Nick Kyrgios last month.

When Nadal won his 22nd Grand Slam title at the French Open this year, we all knew Djokovic would be eyeing that top spot. And he is very close to achieving that. So, don't jump the gun on deciding who the greatest of all time is.