Davis Cup, Novak Djokovic to skip group-stage ties: Details here
Former world number one Novak Djokovic will miss Serbia's Davis Cup Finals group stage matches, starting next week, due to personal reasons. The country's tennis federation announced the same on Monday. Djokovic also missed the ongoing US Open after he refrained from COVID-19 vaccination. Earlier this year, the Serbian clinched his 21st Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. Here are further details.
Why does this story matter?
After missing the US Open, Djokovic was supposed to return to action at the Davis Cup. However, in a statement on the Teniski Savez Srbije website, Serbian captain Viktor Troicki stated that Djokovic will be unavailable for the Davis Cup. The official website of Djokovic terms the Laver Cup, scheduled in September at London's O2 Arena, as his next tournament.
Why did Djokovic miss the US Open?
Earlier this month, CDC removed the vaccine mandate for American citizens. This gave Djokovic a glimmer of hope to feature at the US Open. However, the latest guidelines relating to non-citizens come as a setback for the Serbian. As stated, Djokovic maintains his stance of not taking a jab, which ruled him out of the Australian Open.
What happened at the Australian Open?
The controversy regarding Djokovic made headlines ahead of the 2022 Australian Open. He had arrived in Australia with a COVID-19 vaccine exemption. However, the border authorities canceled his visa upon arrival. The Serbian was sent to immigration detention before his lawyers filed an appeal. Although Djokovic's team won the case, the government re-canceled his visa. He lost his court bid to stay in Australia.
Djokovic won seventh Wimbledon title
Djokovic won a record-equaling seventh Wimbledon title after beating Australia's Nick Kyrgios in the 2022 men's singles final. With a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3) win over Kyrgios, the 35-year-old claimed his 21st Grand Slam title, now the second-most after that of Spain's Rafael Nadal (22). Djokovic now has the joint-second-most Wimbledon titles with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw.
