The US and Canada both have rules against letting unvaccinated foreigners into the country and since Djokovic falls into that category, he is unlikely to play any of the upcoming North American tournaments.
This sets him to lose more ground against Rafael Nadal who may be on his way to winning his 23rd Grand Slam title should he be fit enough to play in New York this August.
In all fairness to Djokovic, he has said that he is not seeking any exemptions and believes that those are unlikely to happen. He wants to avoid a repeat of the nightmare that occurred in Australia earlier this year.
Another big name that will be missing the Rogers Cup this year is Alexander Zverev who is still recovering from his French Open ankle injury.
Tournament director Eugene Lapierre spoke of Djokovic’s participation, saying that the Serb will be missing from the main draw.
“We will have a great tournament, he announced. “All the best players will be there except for two and we know the reasons for their absence.
“Either the Canadian government is going to change the rules regarding vaccination or he is going to roll up his sleeves and get the vaccine. But I don’t think any of those scenarios are realistic.”
The Canadian Health Minister has also spoken out on the issue saying, “The rules apply to everyone. There are some exceptions, but… the rules apply to everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet.”