Florida Senators Ask Biden To Allow Novak Djokovic To Play Miami Open Despite Covid Restrictions

Florida Senators Ask Biden To Allow Novak Djokovic To Play Miami Open Despite Covid Restrictions

Share to Linkedin Florida's senators asked President Joe Biden to approve a waiver Friday to allow Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic—who cannot enter the country because he is unvaccinated against Covid-19 —to make an exception to national rules and allow Djokovic play in the Miami Open later this month. Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Daniil Medvedev during their semi final match of the ... [+] Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Friday, March 2, 2023. Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott urged Biden to allow Djokovic to play in a tournament next month, arguing the government's Covid emergency declarations—which require non-U. S. citizens be vaccinated in order to enter the country—is set to expire soon after, on May 11. The tournament is set to begin March 19 and run through April 2. James Blake, the Miami Open tournament director, told the Miami Herald Wednesday that he petitioned for a waiver to the current vaccine mandate for Djokovic, citing both the lack of "imminent danger" and the potential economic benefits of having the world's top-ranked player attend the tournament. The senators echoed Blake's sentiments in their letter, saying Djokovic's presence could be "a major driver for our local economies."