Djokovic is unvaccinated and will likely miss out on playing in the final major of the year because of the laws in the United States do not allow unvaccinated non-residents to enter the country.
There have been several calls, from politicians and tennis personalities alike, to allow the Serb to play in Flushing Meadows. McEnroe is one of them.
He has been calling for Djokovic to be given a vaccine exemption for some time now, especially after he won the title at Wimbledon.
For his part, Djokovic has said that he has no plans to get vaccinated and that he is okay with having to miss tournaments because of it. At the start of the year, he had that infamous row with the Australian Border Patrol and was later deported.
He has also missed out on most of the American swing of the tennis season and was absent from Indian Wells, the Canada Open, and the Cincinnati Masters.
McEnroe doesn’t think this is fair.
“I don’t think it’s fair,” McEnroe told reporters on Tuesday.
“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.”
Djokovic has been trying to beat Rafael Nadal in the record for the most Grand Slam wins. He has 21 while the Spaniard has 22. Nadal won this years Australian Open in Djokovic’s absence. Later, he beat the Serb at the French Open. Nadal later got hurt at Wimbledon and Djokovic took home the crown.