'Novak Djokovic denied waiver request to play the Sunshine Swing,' Florida Senator confirms

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will be ineligible to play the Indian Wells and Miami Masters tournaments in the U.S. which form the Sunshine Swing.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is set to miss out on competing on U.S. soil for the second year in a row after his vaccine waiver request was rejected, according to Florida Senator Rick Scott.

Djokovic, who is unvaccinated against Covid-19, tabled his request to enter the United States and play at the Indian Wells Masters which begins next week and is part of the double-header along with the Miami Open that heralds the start of the Sunshine Swing in North America.

The 35-year-old, who lost to Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships, was hopeful of getting good news in the coming days and admitted that he would pull out before the draw was even made for the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells should his request prove futile.

But according to Scott, who shared the bad news to Novak Djokovic, his legion of fans, and the tennis fraternity on his official Twitter page, admitted that the United States Homeland Security rejected to give the top-ranked men’s player any special treatment with regard to his vaccination stance and any attempt for waiver is denied.

🚨 BREAKING: We have been told that @DHSgov just denied @DjokerNole's vaccine waiver request, making him ineligible to compete in the US next week in CA & in the @MiamiOpen. @JoeBiden must fix this NOW, grant the waiver & allow him to compete here in the states. https://t.co/TSD10yM8u6
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) March 3, 2023

The United States is expected to relax its rules on foreign travelers requiring proof of vaccination on May 11, over two months from the Sunshine Double. But the consolation is that Djokovic will be eligible to enter the States in September to play at the US Open.

Djokovic was infamously deported from Australia last year, despite having initially been given the all-clear to travel Down Under to play at the 2022 Australian Open with a special exemption.

The news is certainly a big blow for Novak Djokovic in his quest to win a record-breaking sixth title in the desert. That also opens up the door for Carlos Alcaraz to regain top spot if he recovers from injury and wins the tournament.