Novak Djokovic is undoubtedly one of the greatest tennis players of all time, and his fans are eagerly waiting to see him compete at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells.
However, his participation is in doubt due to his stance on COVID-19 vaccination. The US has relaxed its rules for unvaccinated foreigners entering the country, but the rule was not introduced soon enough for the Serb. That means Djokovic cannot enter the country to participate in the tournament without a vaccine.
In his post-match press conference after defeating Hubert Hurkacz on Thursday, Djokovic opened up about his participation in Indian Wells. He said that he would wait until the last minute for any rule change or relaxation to facilitate his participation. However, he also made it clear that he would withdraw from the tournament before the draw takes place if he is not allowed to enter the country due to his vaccination status.
"Before the draw. Yeah, yeah, whatever the decision is before the draw, if I'm not allowed, I'm going to pull out, of course, before the draw."
In the semifinals, the world no. 1 will meet a player who dethroned him from the top spot last year, Daniil Medvedev. The Russian is also on a winning streak, having won titles in Rotterdam and Doha, and he will want to record another win against the 22-time Grand Slam champion. Ahead of their clash, Djokovic spoke highly of Medvedev.
"Daniil is one of the best players in the world the last five years. Grand Slam winner. Former No. 1 in the world. Not much to talk about. His quality is as tough as it gets when you are supposed to face someone on the hard court particularly."
"We played each other quite a few times. ... I've been watching him play. He's on a roll, winning tournaments, one or more tournaments before Dubai, I'm not sure. But he's had a great run. I haven't had a bad run myself, so I think we're both in great form and hopefully can have a good match."
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