The Perfect Enemy | Florida Senators Ask Biden To Allow Novak Djokovic To Play Miami Open Despite Covid Restrictions - Forbes
May 14, 2024

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

Florida Senators Ask Biden To Allow Novak Djokovic To Play Miami Open Despite Covid Restrictions  ForbesView Full Coverage on Google News

Topline

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.

Key Facts

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.”

Rubio and Scott said in their letter it would be “illogical and misaligned” to not allow Djokovic to play later this month given the imminent end to the state of emergency and given Biden’s remarks last year during a 60 Minutes interview that “the pandemic is over.”

The Covid emergency declarations, which have been in place since March 2020 when former President Donald Trump first declared a public health emergency, have been renewed every 90 days since then.

Key Background

Djokovic made headlines early in the pandemic after he said he was not vaccinated. Since then, he has had Covid twice and has missed a number of tennis tournaments due to his vaccination status, including last year when he was deported ahead of the Australian Open. After his deportation, Djokovic told the BBC he wanted tournaments to change their requirements, but also said he was willing to forego potential future tournament wins, saying it was “the price I’m willing to pay.” On Monday, Djokovic surpassed Steffi Graf’s record for most weeks by a men’s or women’s tennis player as World No. 1.

What We Don’t Know

Djokovic requested a waiver to play at the Indian Wells tournament in California later this month, according to the New York Times. In the next week, Blake told the Herald, Djokovic should know if he can play that tournament, setting a precedent for what happens in Miami next month.

Forbes Valuation

We estimate Djokovic is worth $34.5 million. In 2021, he was among the 50 highest paid athletes.

Further Reading

Injured Nadal Withdraws from Miami Open, But There Is A Slim Chance Djokovic Will Play (Miami Herald)

Novak Djokovic Overtakes Steffi Graf With 378th Week At World No. 1 (Forbes)