Serena Williams was included this Wednesday in the list of participants of the US Open, fourth and last Grand Slam of the year, like Novak Djokovic, despite the fact that his refusal to be vaccinated against covid would prevent him from entering the United States.
Williams, who won the first of her six New York titles in 1999, is one Grand Slam short of Margaret Court’s record of 24.
The American star won the last of her 23 majors at the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant. Her most recent US Open title was in 2014.
Williams, a former world No. 1, only returned to singles action at Wimbledon last month after a year sidelined with injury.
For his part, Djokovic, recent winner of Wimbledon in his seventh title at the Cathedral and his 21st Grand Slam overall, is on the list for the tournament that will be played from August 29 to September 11.
However, the three-time champion will not be able to enter the United States for refusing to be vaccinated against covid-19.
“Per the Grand Slam rulebook, all eligible players are automatically entered into the men’s (ATP) and women’s (WTA) singles main draw fields based on ranking 42 days prior to the first Monday of the event,” it said in a statement. the United States Tennis Association.
“The US Open does not have a vaccination mandate for players, but will respect the position of the United States government regarding travel to the country for unvaccinated non-US citizens,” added the organization of the last ‘Major’ of the year .
The world number 1, the Russian Daniil Medvedev, will return to defend his title.
Medvedev and his Russian teammates were banned from Wimbledon this year as a result of the Ukraine invasion. They can play in New York although not under their national flag.
Women’s champion Emma Raducanu and two-time winner Naomi Osaka are also on the entry list.
