Goran Ivanisevic believes Novak Djokovic has had an unfair year and that the chances of the Serb playing US Open, as of now, look bleak.
An unvaccinated Djokovic was deported from Australia on the eve of the Australian Open after a protracted legal drama.
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The Serb admitted after winning Wimbledon, earlier this month, that the debacle in Australia had left him scarred.
“He has had a difficult, unfair year, many bad things happened to him,” Ivanisevic, a former Wimbledon champion and Djokovic’s coach since 2019, told Sport Klub.
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“He deserved that Wimbledon, in the final there were two of the world’s best tennis players on grass, he and Nick Kyrgios.”
Djokovic, the 21-time major champion, has said previously that he is ready to forgo titles rather than being forced to take a jab.
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Though US Open does not have a vaccination mandate, USA does require foreigners to be fully inoculated, which means Djokovic is likely to miss the final Slam of the year as well.
“I don’t know about the US Open (entry), it’s difficult,” Ivanisevic told Croatian newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija.
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“I am more optimistic that I will get an invitation and win Umag than that they will let him to the US Open.
“They don’t ask for vaccination there, but as a country, they are closed to the unvaccinated, for now, he can’t enter the country.
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“He doesn’t want to get vaccinated, he doesn’t want to introduce it into his body, and he never told others not to get vaccinated.
“I respect and support his decision.”
