Novak Djokovic in the draw for Indian Wells, but his status remains unclear

By Issy Ronald, CNN

Updated 1101 GMT (1901 HKT) March 9, 2022

Novak Djokovic returned to the court at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis tournament in Dubai in February.

(CNN)Novak Djokovic features in the men's singles draw as the No. 2 seed atIndian Wells, but it remains unclear whether he will be able to compete when the men's tournament begins on Thursday due to his unvaccinated status.

In the United States — where Indian Wells is held — any non-US citizen must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to receive a visa and enter the country.«Novak Djokovic is on the tournament entry list, and therefore is placed into the draw today,» a statement from the tournament said on Tuesday. «We are currently in communication with his team; however, it has not been determined if he will participate in the event by getting CDC approval to enter the country. We will provide updates in the future as we learn more.»CNN has reached out to the CDC, Djokovic's representation and the US State Department for comment.Just weeks ago, Djokovic told the BBC he would be willing to miss tournaments — including the French Open and Wimbledon — if he was not allowed to play in them due to his not being vaccinated against Covid-19.Read MoreDjokovic's comments came following his deportation from Australia in January, preventing his participation in the Australian Open, due to his refusal to take a Covid-19 vaccine.Djokovic, seen here while under immigration detention in Australia, was deported from the country ahead of the Australian Open.Before the Australian Open, Djokovic was tied with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer with a record 20 grand slam singles titles. With Djokovic absent at the Australian Open, Nadal went on to win the tournament, his 21st