Tennis Legend John McEnroe Blasts US Open Not Allowing Novak Djokovic to Play: ‘It’s Bulls***’
Tennis legend John McEnroe blasted the US Open this week over not allowing superstar tennis player Novak Djokovic to compete.
“I think it’s bullshit that he’s not allowed to play, to be blunt,” McEnroe told The Daily Beast in a piece published on Friday. “I think it’s quite a gutsy stand, in a way, to do what he’s doing, because he’s potentially sacrificing being unequivocally the best ever, since he got thrown out of Australia… If he’s not in New York, this is another one that he could have won. So he’s risking something, but that’s also what made him so great.”
“This idea that after everything we’ve gone through after a couple of years, I thought it was a total debacle and an absolute shitshow that he got thrown out of Australia the way he did,” he continued. “That was absurd.”
On Thursday, Djokovic, who lives in Serbia and is unvaccinated, announced he wouldn’t be competing in the US Open in the United States, which requires non-U.S. citizen travelers to show proof of vaccination before flying into the country.
“Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open. Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support. Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again. See you soon tennis world!” tweeted Djokovic in a post complete with admiring emojis.
Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open. Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support. ❤️ Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again. 💪🏼 See you soon tennis world! 👋🏼
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) August 25, 2022
US Open Tournament Director Stacey Allaster called the outcome “unfortunate.”
“Novak is a great champion and it is very unfortunate that he will be unable to compete at the 2022 US Open, as he is unable to enter the country due to the federal government’s vaccination policy for non-U.S. citizens. We look forward to welcoming Novak back at the 2023 US Open,” she said in a statement.
Djokovic, a three-time US Open champion, was prohibited from playing in the Australian Open in January due to his status of not being vaccinated, but he played in the French Open in May, and Wimbledon in July.
