'No Regrets': Djokovic Opens Up On Missing Indian Wells and Miami Open
ATPWednesday, 22 March 2023 at 13:00
Updated at Wednesday, 26 March 2025 at 17:44
Novak Djokovic admits that he has no regrets about missing the Sunshine Double because of not being vaccinated.
Djokovic is a legend of the sport. He is a 22-time Grand Slam champion, and he held the World No. 1 spot for hundreds of weeks. However, in recent years, he couldn't add to his legacy as much as he would like to.
The Serbian player chose not to be vaccinated against COVID-19, which made it impossible for him to compete in tournaments in Australia, Canada, and the United States, as those countries required foreign individuals to be vaccinated to enter the country.
Most recently, Djokovic missed the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami, and as a result of his absence, he lost his World No. 1 rank to Carlos Alcaraz.
But despite his legacy being directly impacted by his decision not to be vaccinated, during a recent interview with CNN, the 35-year-old explained that he had absolutely no regrets.
"No, I have no regrets. I’ve learned through life that regrets only hold you back and basically make you live in the past. And I don’t want to do that. I also don’t want to live too much in the future. I want to be as much as in the present moment, but of course think about future, create a better future."
Of course, Djokovic would want to compete at the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open. At the same time, he is aware that he couldn't compete at those events because of his own decision, which he knew the consequences.
"It’s a pity that I wasn’t able to play in Indian Wells [and] Miami. I love those tournaments. I had plenty of success there. But at the same time, it is the conscious decision I made and I knew that there is always a possibility that I won’t go."
Djokovic will soon want to put this part of his tennis career behind him and start adding titles to his name also in the countries that haven't allowed him to enter in recent years.
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