<p>Novak Djokovic plays tennis for a living. And the 35-year-old Serbian has won 22 Grand Slam titles, a feat accomplished by only one other player, Rafael Nadal &#8212; so he&#8217;s pretty good.</p>
<p>But the administration of President Joe Biden has forbidden Djokovic from coming to the United States to play, saying that the fact that he refuses to be vaccinated against COVID makes him a deadly risk.</p>
<p>Djokovic has long been reticent to take the vaccine, and at first, it seemed a bit petty. There was a deadly pandemic, and most people felt a sense of society when they bit the bullet and took the jab.</p>
<p>But now, with world-class athletes seemingly dropping dead all around the world, Djokovic&#8217;s recalcitrance appears to have been correct. And besides, his body, his choice. He didn&#8217;t want to put an odd substance into his highly honed athletic body, so he just didn&#8217;t.</p>
<p>He&#8217;s not against vaccines, he said in 2020, but he does oppose forced vaccination. &#8220;The principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>But in late 2021, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) decided he couldn&#8217;t play in the Australian Open, a major that he won the year before. A short time later, Djokovic lost the No. 1 <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-15/novak-djokovic-vaccination-stance-affects-legacy/100831504">ranking</a> that he had held for a record 373 weeks. And due to the U.S. government&#8217;s forced vaccination policy for non-U.S. citizens, Djokovic was banned from entering the United States to play in the 2022 U.S. Open, another major tournament he was the favorite to win.</p>
<p>That all seems ages ago now. Most Americans &#8212; and most of the world, too &#8212; have moved on, returning to normal life. The COVID pandemic has greatly waned, and for many who get the virus, it&#8217;s more like the flu nowadays.</p>
<p>Yet with nationwide vaccine mandates still in place for foreign travelers, Djokovic has been forced to pull out of the Indian Wells tournament in California. His request for a waiver to enter the U.S. without a vaccine was rejected by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He was supposed to play in the Miami Open the following week, but his participation in the tournament is up in the air, too.</p>
<p><b data-stringify-type="bold"><a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-226234">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a></b></p>
<p>All this while the pandemic is &#8220;over.&#8221; That&#8217;s not us saying that — it was Biden.</p>
<p>Last September, Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-shocks-white-house-by-declaring-pandemic-is-over-while-hundreds-of-americans-die-every-day">declared:</a> &#8220;The pandemic is over. We still have a problem with COVID. We’re still doing a lotta work on it. It’s – but the pandemic is over. if you notice, no one’s wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. And so I think it’s changing. And I think this is a perfect example of it.”</p>
<p>Florida Republican Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio last week urged the Biden administration to intervene so that Djokovic could get into the country to play. The pair wrote a letter to Biden saying Djokovic poses no danger to the public.</p>
<p>“Mr. Djokovic is a world-class athlete in peak physical condition who is not at high-risk of severe complications from COVID-19,” the duo says in the letter. “It seems both illogical and misaligned with the opinions of your own administration to not grant him the waiver he requests so that he may travel to the U.S. to compete in a professional event.”</p>
<p>“The lack of public health risk, along with the clear benefit of his participation in an event that will be a major driver of our local economies should make the decision before you simple and serve as a precedent for others in his position,” the letter continues, “while hopefully leading to the full reversal of this mandate for other foreign visitors who wish to legally travel to our great nation.”</p>
<p>Djokovic is, of course, a high-profile foreigner. But the U.S. Travel Association says, &#8220;America&#8217;s outdated vaccine policy for international visitors is an unforced error that is contributing to an $80 billion loss in foreign traveler spending.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Novak Djokovic is merely one of millions of travelers deterred from visiting the United States due to a well-intended but antiquated policy. It is well past time for the United States to join with its peers in Europe, Australia and elsewhere and remove pandemic vaccine requirements for our international guests,&#8221; the association said in a <a href="https://www.ustravel.org/news/us-travel-banning-novak-djokovic-unforced-error-america">statement</a> Monday.</p>
<p><em>The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.</em></p>
<p><em>Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.</em></p>

<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script><div data-widget-host="revcontent" data-pub-id="165152" data-widget-id="290588"></div><script src="https://delivery.revcontent.com/165152/290588/widget.js"></script>

What A Joke? One Of The Greatest Active Tennis Players Is Barred From Playing In U.S. For Not Taking COVID Vaccine

CONTINUE READING

Vegas Family Claims Craft Crashed In Backyard, 9-Foot Aliens Emerged

Endless Pride: British Library Posts About Fish That Can Change Its Sex

Russia Taking Over Ukraine Not A ‘Top Foreign Policy Priority,’ GOP Presidential Candidate Says

America Has Spoken: There Are Two Genders. Period.

NY Times, WaPo Do Cartwheels To Spin Biden’s Clumsy Tumble; Twitterers Shred Them

Here’s The Weirdest Story You’ll Ever Read About Sen. Dianne Feinstein

Opinion

COVID

COVID-19 Vaccine

Department of Homeland Security

Joe Biden

Novak Djokovic

Politics

Sports

Tennis

Vaccine Mandate

A video goes viral showing a baby being refused his mother by two gay "dads". This is just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we will have an important discussion today about surrogacy. 

Hour 1

The Matt Walsh Show

Ep. 1765 - This Video Is One Of The Worst Things I've Seen In A Long Time 

The Strait of Hormuz officially opens for business (kind of), the Pope makes “shocking” comments on immigration, and President Trump promises UFO disclosure at TPUSA. 


The Michael Knowles Show

Ep. 1956 -  Pope Leo's "SHOCKING" Immigration Comments EXPLAINED

A false miscreed has corrupted our leadership class.


The Andrew Klavan Show

Ep. 1275 - Dumb, Dumber and Progressive

President Trump announces a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, a murder-suicide involving former Democratic Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax shakes Virginia, and France and Britain hold a conference to secure the Strait of Hormuz – after the Iranian conflict ends. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.

- - -

Ep. 2738

- - -

Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3

- - -

Today's Sponsors:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text 'WIRE' to 83848 to learn more.

Pocket Hose - Text MORNING to 64000 to get a FREE pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of ANY size Copper Head hose. Message and data rates may apply.

Morning Wire

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26 [Member Exclusive]

A ceasefire goes into effect between Israel and Lebanon, a tragic murder-suicide rocks Virginia, and Dairy Queen deploys AI in the drive-thru. Get the facts first with Evening Wire.
- - -
Ep. 2737
- - -
Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3 
- - -
Today’s Sponsor:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text “WIRE” to 83848 to learn more.


Evening Wire: Lebanon Ceasefire Begins & Murder-Suicide Rocks VA | 4.16.26

The Pendragon Cycle

Menu

— Opinion —

What A Joke? One Of The Greatest Active Tennis Players Is Barred From Playing In U.S. For Not Taking COVID Vaccine