How would Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal from the 2022 US Open affect the draw?

After much talk surrounding Novak Djokovic’s participation or non-participation in the US Open, the world number six finally pulled out of his slot prior to the competition’s draw.

“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-U.S. citizens. We look forward to welcoming Novak back at the 2023 US Open,” according to US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster.

British player called for rule change on late withdrawals

British tennis player Liam Broady had earlier called for a change in Grand Slam event rules so that players are no longer allowed to withdraw late if they know they will not play in the tournament.

He took to Twitter to air his grievance: “There should be a rule against late withdrawals from slams when you know you aren’t going to play,” he wrote.

After his post, there were many harsh comments from Djokovic fans, who believed the tweet was aimed at the Serbian.

Broady then clarified that what he wrote was a general idea and did not refer specifically to Djokovic.

“Would love for Nole fans to give it a rest now I don’t understand why I’m still getting it in the neck from random bot accounts for tweeting something that is completely reasonable which people have perceived to be about ND [Novak Djokovic].”

What happens now that Djokovic has pulled out of the US Open before the draw?

The 35-year-old backed out of the tournament before the draw, so it will create a vacancy that will result in changes in seeding. Because the qualifying tournament has already started, a “Lucky Loser” will be included in the draw.

If he had withdrawn after the opening day’s Order of Play was released, his place in the draw would have been taken by a player who lost in the qualifying contest.

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Tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg had earlier said that Djokovic’s refusal to withdraw had prevented another player from moving up into an automatic spot in the main draw.

“With Djokovic staying in, one fewer player will get to play at #USOpen. Next into qualies would’ve been #242 Pol Martin Tiffon, who has made only $25,434 in prize money all year. The prize money for just getting into qualies, $21,000, could have meant a lot to him,” wrote Rothenberg.

Now that the reigning Wimbledon champion has said he is out of the US Open, another player will be getting his slot and the matter is settled.

While this is beneficial for that other player, others say that Djokovic was perfectly within his rights to wait as long he could, as he was still holding on to the hope that US regulations would relax in time for him to join the last Grand Slam tournament of the year.