Novak Djokovic Withdraws From Montreal Tournament Ahead Of US Open; Here's Why

Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from National Bank Open since he is unvaccinated and will not be allowed to enter Canada.

Djokovic will not be able to compete in the US Open as well due to the same reason. The former World No. 1 player pulled out of the Montreal tournament a day before the draw was scheduled to take place, the Associated Press reported.

Djokovic, who is currently training in Montenegro, has been replaced by France's Benjamin Bonzi for the Canada Open, while Nick Kyrgios has come in as a replacement for Germany's Oscar Otte, according to a press release from National Bank Open.

The 35-year-old has refused to take the coronavirus shots, even if that means he can't go to certain tournaments. He missed the Australian Open in January after being deported from the country and was forced to miss two events in the U.S. earlier this year.

As per the U.S. government's rules, foreign travelers entering the country must be fully vaccinated. It was earlier reported that while the "US Open does not have a vaccination mandate in place for players, it will respect the U.S. government's position regarding travel into the country for unvaccinated non-U.S. citizens." The Flushing Meadows Grand Slam is set to begin on Aug. 29 in New York and will go on till Sept. 11.

However, Djokovic was not stopped from competing in the French Open and Wimbledon. While he lost to Rafael Nadal in the quarter-final in Paris, he clinched his 21st Grand Slam by beating Krygios in the All England Club final. The Serbian is now just one major title behind his arch-rival Nadal, who will play in the US Open.

Montreal Open 2022 is scheduled to begin on Aug. 8, which will see some of the current big names participate including Nadal, who is seeded second behind World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev. The Spaniard has won five times in Canada and will be looking to equal Ivan Lendl's record of six Canadian Open titles.