The governor of Florida today asked US President Joseph Biden to allow Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic to participate in the Masters in Indian Wells and Miami, despite the fact that he has not been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Djokovic applied for a special permit to play in Indian Wells and Miami, but Florida Senator Rick Scott said that the authorities rejected the request of the world number one tennis player.
However, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis asked the Biden administration to allow Djokovic to compete at the Masters, describing the denial as “unfair, unscientific and unacceptable.”
“I urge you to reconsider the decision. It’s time to put the politics of the pandemic aside and give the Americans what they want and let him play,” De Santis said in a letter to Biden.
Unvaccinated foreign nationals are currently barred from entering the US, and that rule is expected to be lifted on May 11.
Djokovic missed last year’s Australian Open after being deported from Melbourne for not being vaccinated. He said then that he would rather miss the Grand Slam tournaments than get vaccinated.
In January, he won his 22nd Grand Slam title with a triumph in Melbourne and equaled the record held by Spaniard Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic has not played in Indian Wells and Miami since 2019.
Indian Wells tournament director Tommy Haas, the US Tennis Association and US Open organizers want the world’s number one tennis player to compete.
“The only thing preventing Mr. Djokovic from participating is that your administration continues to enforce erroneous, unscientific and outdated coronavirus vaccination requirements for foreign guests,” De Santis added.
The tournament in Indian Wells starts today and runs until March 19. Then comes the Masters in Miami.