Djokovic set for US Open return as Senate lifts Covid restrictions

Novak Djokovic is set to play at the US Open for the first time in two years after the Senate voted to lift Covid-19 restrictions in the United States.

Djokovic hasn’t competed at the final major of the year since 2021, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev in the final, so missed out on completing the calendar Grand Slam.

The USA had declared that international visitors needed to show proof of having a vaccine against coronavirus, but Djokovic has not had the jab.

On Wednesday, the Senate voted and passed a bill to end the Covid-19 public health emergency, which is expected to be signed by President Joe Biden.

Earlier this month, Djokovic told CNN he was keen to return to Flushing Meadows this year.

“I really want to be playing there, want to be there,” he said.

“I actually had in 2021, when I lost in the finals against Medvedev, probably one of the best moments I ever had with the New York crowd. I’ve been fortunate to win that tournament three times, play many finals.

“Even though I lost that match, I received a lot of love and appreciation from people and I want to go back and I want to reconnect with the crowd there. So that’s something I’m looking forward to and hopefully it will happen.”

Djokovic has not played this month because the two Masters events, Indian Wells and the Miami Open, were held in the USA and the vaccine restrictions meant he was forced to pull out of the tournaments.

The Serbian is expected to return at the Monte Carlo Masters, which begins on April 9, as the European clay-court season gets underway.