Novak Djokovic announced Thursday that he will not be able to travel to the United States for the upcoming US Open in New York and has withdrawn from the tournament. According to ESPN, Djokovic's withdrawal stems from U.S. travel restrictions for foreign nationals and his COVID-19 vaccination status.
"Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open. Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support," Djokovic wrote in a post to his Twitter account. "Good luck to my fellow players! I'll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again."
Djokovic, who is coming off of a win in the last major tournament at Wimbledon in July, has refused to take get the COVID-19 vaccine and has shown he is willing to skip tournaments in countries that require him to be vaccinated. That includes tournament in the United States, as current travel restrictions in the country state that COVID-19 vaccines are needed for foreign nationals.
In July, Djokovic had expressed hope that the United States would reverse its policies, which would have allowed him to compete in the final major of the year and preserve his spot in the current world rankings. Djokovic had been ranked No. 1 in the world earlier this year, but has since fallen to No. 6.
"I am preparing as if I will be allowed to compete, while I await to hear if there is any room for me to travel to [the] US," Djokovic wrote in an Instagram post in July.
The US Open joins a growing list of tournaments that have barred Djokovic from competition due to his vaccination status, which most notably includes the Australian Open earlier this year.