Novak Djokovic is still waiting on confirmation whether he will be allowed to play in the Australian Open despite remaining unvaccinated.
“It’s really not in my hands right now,” Djokovic said Thursday while at the Laver Cup. “So I’m hoping I will get some positive news.”
The 21-time Grand Slam winner had trouble back in January after he was deported from Australia when his vaccine exemption was not considered by the Australian Border Force.
It was a 10-day long legal saga that involved appeals from the Serbian but eventually resulted in his deportation.
Since then, Australia has changed its COVID-19 rules. But the problem is that Djokovic had his Visa canceled and it can lead to a three-year ban from entering the country.
After they canceled his visa, the Australian Border Force said: “a person whose visa has been canceled may be subject to a three-year exclusion period that prevents the grant of a further temporary visa.”
Djokovic has remained firm in his stand against getting vaccinated. As a result, he missed tournaments in Canada and the United States, including the US Open.
“I don’t have any regrets,” said Djokovic.
“I mean, I do feel sad that I wasn’t able to play (at the U.S. Open), but that was a decision that I made and I knew what the consequences would be,” he said Thursday. “So I accepted them and that’s it.”
He was, however, allowed to play in Wimbledon and ended up winning the title.
“I’m not used to making, obviously in the last 15-20 years, longer breaks between the tournaments, but it is what it is,” Djokovic added.
“That’s kind of the situation I was in. I’m just excited to be able to play here now — and most of the other indoor (tournaments) for the rest of the season.”
