3 choices left for Novak Djokovic US Open 2022

• The Serbian is yet to give his stand on his next move
• He may not play at Flushing Meadows after all since he’s unvaccinated
• The US Open starts on August 29

The saga surrounding Novak Djokovic US Open 2022 regarding his participation is deafening to say the least.

The Serbian is yet to give his stand on his next move regarding the last Grand Slam of the year. Due to his unwillingness to have the COVID-19 vaccine, the 21-time Grand Slam winner will probably not play at Flushing Meadows.

As it is, non-citizens are not allowed into the country unless they can prove they have received two doses of a vaccine. It will add to his second major controversy for the year if he finally stays off the US Open due to his unvaccinated status.

Djokovic’s first controversy was in Australia at the beginning of the year. He was deported over his unvaccinated status and lost a chance to compete in the year’s first Grand Slam.

With the US Open a few days away – August 29 – Djokovic has few options to save his face. What will it be? Will he pick one of the following options?

Novak Djokovic. Photo/Sky Sports

TAKE A BREAK AFTER THE DRAW

A good option for Novak Djokovic 2022 is take a break after the draw and relax. It’s a safe bet because things get tighter if he withdraws after the draw is complete.

Such a move becomes marginally problematic. Any vacancy created by the withdrawal of seed prior to the release of the Order of Play for the first day of the Main Draw follows a set of rules.

They are dictated by the International Tennis Federation Grand Slam rulebook. They state that if the withdrawal is among seeds 5 to 16, the 17th seed is moved into the open position. That means that the 17th position is filled by the next highest ranked player eligible to be seeded.

Therefore, if Djokovic, the fifth seed, withdraws after the draw but before the first day’s Order of Play announcement Roberto Bautista Agut, the seventeenth seed, would replace him and Dusan Kecmanovic would replace him as the seventeenth seed.

On the other hand, Djokovic may want to hold off. The Serbian might make the decision to wait until the very end to see if the rules are altered.

In that case, the next person in line will be the “fortunate loser” who gets his spot. This was a competitor who went out in the final round of qualification.

GET VACCINATED

What would effectively end Novak Djokovic US Open 2022 and subsequent tournament misery than getting vaccinated?

Djokovic could, of course, avoid the pre-Grand Slam circus by receiving the Covid vaccination. If he had to wait 28 days between shots, he’d surely miss the US Open, but he’d be good to go for any other tournaments.

But Djokovic has clearly made it clear that he is willing to skip Grand Slams to maintain his stance. In a past interview with BBC, he said he’s willing to shoulder the weight of his vaccination stand in tournament bans.

The 36-year-old denied involvement in the anti-vaccine movement, nevertheless. He maintains that it is his personal choice as to what he does with his body.

How he treats his body is matters more than ATP ranking or playing in certain Grand Slams. Djokovic said at the time that he was doing everything he could to improve his body awareness.

Through his research, he opted to stay away from COVID-19 vaccination. But, he stays open-minded that he could change his mind in future and reconsider his decision.

Novak Djokovic loses world No.1 ranking to Daniil Medvedev. Photo/Sky Sports

WALK AWAY FROM THE DRAW

The US Open’s logistics would be least complicated if Djokovic withdrew from the competition before the draw on August 25. Simply moving each seed up one spot suffices for the organizers.

It would help save his reputation as much as the ‘Novak Djokovic US Open 2022’ debate rages.

Despite being ranked world No. 6 in the world, Djokovic is the US Open’s fifth seed because Alexander Zverev withdrew due to an ankle injury.

If Djokovic were to withdraw, every seed below him would move up a spot, much as they did when Zverev was disqualified.

Casper Ruud, now seeded seventh, would move up to the sixth spot, while Felix Auger-Aliassime would move from the eighth spot to the seventh.

Miomir Kecmanovic, who is rated 33rd, would be seeded because only the top 32 players are given a head start.