Djokovic is facing the end of his season. Serb likely to miss North American tournaments due to coronavirus vaccination

Fresh Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic has a difficult dilemma ahead of him. Either he will be vaccinated against the coronavirus or he will have to skip tournaments on concrete in the United States and Canada, which include the last Grand Slam of the season, the US Open. But Djokovic says he refuses to be vaccinated. So the season for him is most likely over in July.

There can be no doubt about the thirty-five-year-old Serb’s motivation. With his seventh Wimbledon triumph, he has surpassed Roger Federer in the historical ranking, who has one less title from the Big Four tournaments. Djokovic is now only ahead of Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who has won twenty-two Grand Slams.

But the Spanish clay king will have a much easier road to another triumph. Neither Federer nor Djokovic will be competing at the upcoming US Open. The Swiss tennis legend is planning a return to the courts in the autumn and the current Wimbledon champion is refusing the coronavirus vaccination, which is a requirement to compete in tennis tournaments in North America.

Tokyo Olympic champion Alexander Zverev will not be in Flushing Meadows either. He is unlikely to appear on the ATP circuit this year due to an ankle injury from the French Open.

The only significant competitor to Nadal for the US Open title could be Russian Daniil Medvedev, who missed Wimbledon because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, both Russian and Belarusian tennis players can compete in the United States.

Djokovic, who despite winning on the London grass has dropped to seventh in the ATP rankings, will not have an easy road to another Grand Slam title. This year he could only compete in Paris at the French Open and London at Wimbledon. If Djokovic really wants to catch Nadal in the historic Grand Slam standings, two tournaments in a season may not be enough.

Given his ranking position, he will also be facing tougher and higher ranked opponents at a much earlier stage of the tournament than he has been used to. However, Djokovic is known for his excellent physical condition. So if the Serb’s health holds out, even this fact might not be enough to stop him from winning more Grand Slam laurels.

Despite all the pitfalls, however, Djokovic has a great chance to reach the top of the historic Grand Slam standings after all. Of the trio of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, the Serb is the youngest and plagued by the fewest health problems.

Roger Federer is unlikely to add to his collection of 20 titles, while Rafael Nadal is plagued by health problems that kept him out of this year’s Wimbledon semi-finals. Novak Djokovic is thus in the best position to compete in other tournaments, despite the fact that he continues to refuse the coronavirus vaccination that would allow him to compete in both the Australian Open and the upcoming US Open.

Sources: CNBC, Novak Djokovic, ATP, Eurosport