Reilly Opelka comes to Djokovic's defense in US Open vaccination saga

American tennis player Reilly Opelka took to social media on Sunday to defend Novak Djokovic and call for his inclusion in the upcoming US Open Championships.

The Serb has been in the news this year for reasons other than his on-court triumphs. It started in January with the Australian Open fiasco, which ended with him getting deported from the country.

Now, fresh off his Wimbledon triumph, he pulled out of the Canadian Open this week as he’s not allowed to enter the country owing to his unvaccinated status. He is also set to miss the Cincinnati Masters and the US Open this month.

With American laws requiring foreign travelers to be double vaccinated against the coronavirus to enter the country, Australian player John Millman took to Twitter to speak about the absurdity of the said rules.

“Thought of the day. I could be covid positive and fly into the States, no questions asked because I’m vaccinated. But someone who has recovered from covid, is now covid negative but hasn’t been vax’d is denied entry. I know there are border laws but help me understand,” he tweeted.

Replying to Millman, German-Jamaican professional player Dustin Brown tried to defend the vaccination rules for those entering America.

“Every Country Just Has Their Own Rules… Why Can I Walk On The Street In Germany With A Beer, But I Cant In Other Countries? Because Its Their Rules…” he stated.

This prompted Opelka to point out the loopholes in the law.

“But there are some players (Tennys Sandgren) that can walk on the street with a beer in the same country that others (Novak) can’t,” Opelka wrote.

Millman was speaking about how the rules allow unvaccinated American players from competing at tennis tournaments across the country, while foreign players are being forced to sit out.

While all signs indicate that Novak Djokovic will be denied entry into the United States of America and therefore miss the US Open, the Serb remains hopeful of participating in the Grand Slam.

Djokovic recently took to Instagram to thank his fans for their support and said that he is waiting to hear good news about his US Open participation.