Shortly after becoming the world no. 1 again, Novak Djokovic learned very bad news about his chances of participation in the first two ATP 1000 events of the season.
Last year, the 35-year-old was forced to miss the Indian Wells, Miami Open and the US Open, as he missed on a large portion of points that he could have added as well as a chance to add another Masters and Grand Slam titles to his collection.
After winning the 2023 Australian Open, the Serbian spoke about his upcoming schedule, and while he doesn't have many events to look forward to in the coming months, he certainly wants to compete in the United States. He said:
"I hope I can play in Indian Wells. That is my wish. It is still not allowed but maybe in the next few weeks I will get better news."
Only a few hours after showing his desire to play in Indian Wells, Djokovic learned that it might not become a reality. On Monday, President Joe Biden issued a new update about the COVID-19 restrictions, and this time, he announced that they would be removed on May 11.
That means, the Djokovic will miss the Indian Wells and Miami Open, but good news for him is that he will be allowed to compete at the 2023 US Open, tournament, that he won three times in his career.
With the newest update of the restrictions, it's improbable that something will change before the first two Masters events begin, so most probably they will be held without world no. 1 again.
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