Djokovic has not been vaccinated against Covid-19 throughout the pandemic and current US rules state that any non-US citizen must be fully vaccinated against the virus in order to obtain a visa and enter the country.
The 35-year-old Serb wrote: “Unfortunately I cannot travel to the US Open in New York this time. Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support.
“Good luck to my teammates! I will stay in good shape and positive mood and wait for an opportunity to compete again. See you soon, tennis world!”
US Open Tournament Director Stacy Allaster said in a statement: “Novak is a great champion and it is very unfortunate that he will not be able to compete in the 2022 US Open as he is unable to enter the country due to the federal government’s vaccination policy for non-US citizens.
“We look forward to welcoming Novak back to the US Open 2023.”
The US Open statement also noted that as a result of Djokovic’s withdrawal taking place after the start of the qualifiers, a “lucky loser” will be included in the draw.
Djokovic was deported from Australia in January and prevented his participation in the Australian Open because he refused to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
Djokovic won tennis’s youngest major at Wimbledon in July. He couldn’t compete at Indian Wells or the Miami Open in March due to the same US travel regulations.
The draw for this year’s US Open will take place on Thursday afternoon. The tournament runs from August 29th to September 11th.