Djokovic and Indian Wells: “If I have to pull out, it will be before the draw”
The Serbian insists that he still does not know if he will be able to participate, but that if he is not allowed to do so, he will not burden the team.
The uncertainty about whether Novak Djokovic will be able to participate this month in the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami continues, only a few days before the start of the start of the event. The Serbian legend, who under current regulations cannot enter the United States without receiving a full series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine, insists that he still does not know anything. He reiterated this on Thursday in Dubai after beating Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz to qualify for Friday’s semifinals.
“We’ll see. Let’s see what the answer is, then I’ll go from there. My focus now is on the tournament here, then we’ll see what comes next,” said the world number one.
What Djokovic is clear about is that he will not prejudice the draw whether he can play with a special permit or not: “Whatever the decision is before the draw, if I’m not allowed, I’m going to pull out, of course, before the draw.” Both Tommy Haas, director of Indian Wells, and James Blake, head of Miami, have been making statements, trying to add pressure on the government to allow Djokovic to participate in their tournaments. But the final decision is in the hands of US politicians.