US Open 2022: 'It's a joke' - John McEnroe believes Novak Djokovic missing tournament would not be 'fair'

John McEnroe believes it would be a «joke» if Novak Djokovic is not allowed to play in the US Open due to his Covid-19 unvaccinated status. Djokovic's participation in the year's final Grand Slam in New York is in major doubt with current rules not allowing visitors who have not had the vaccine to enter the United States.

Ad That would seemingly rule out the 21-time major champion from the tournament, with the Serbian already having missed the Australian Open for similar reasons this year. US Open‘Very disrespectful’ – Schett commends Medvedev for remaining calm in fan confrontation21/08/2022 AT 07:23 McEnroe does not agree with the exclusion of Djokovic and other unvaccinated players, suggesting that the 35-year-old's «strong beliefs» should be respected and that a travel ban is disproportionate at this stage of the pandemic.

«No, I don't think it's fair,» four-time US Open winner McEnroe said ahead of the Flushing Meadows event. «I think it's a joke.

»I would have had the vaccine and gone and played but he's got very strong beliefs and you have to respect that. «At this point, in the pandemic, we're two and a half years in, I think people in all parts of the world know more about it, and the idea that he can’t travel here to play, to me is a joke.» The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently relaxed some of its Covid restrictions for unvaccinated US citizens, but is yet to make alterations to a ban on entry of non-vaccinated visitors which was brought in last October.