Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

0:00
0:00

Serbs turn to Biden over Djokovic entry ban

US President Joe Biden has received a letter from a group of Serbian-Americans imploring him to allow Novak Djokovic into the country so that the tennis icon can compete at the US Open next month, according to reports.
As things stand, Djokovic will not be able to play at the Grand Slam in New York because unvaccinated non-citizens are not allowed into the country.

Djokovic, 35, has resisted calls to get jabbed against Covid-19, repeating after his Wimbledon triumph earlier this month that he was willing to miss out on titles rather than relevant to the pressure.

His stance means he is set to miss the tournament at Flushing Meadows – an event where he has claimed three of his 21 Grand Slam titles down the years.

The situation is a disappointment to Djokovic’s legion of fans, not least among the Serbian diaspora in the US.

According to Serbian media outlet Politika, one group has directly addressed Biden with a plea to grant Djokovic entry to the US.

The efforts are apparently being led by Nebojsa Jovanovic, who owns a company promoting tennis among the diaspora, in conjunction with the Serbian American Voters Alliance (SAVA).

The plea to Biden reportedly cites Presidential Proclamation 10294, which allows for travel exceptions to be made for non-citizens “whose entry would be in the national interest.”

“The US Open is the biggest tennis tournament in the world, and it won't be what it is without Novak Djokovic,” Jovanovic was quoted as saying in the letter.

“Considering the economic situation and the crisis at all levels, America must not allow the US Open not to take place in its full glory and capacity, which also means the arrival of Novak Djokovic, who has been crowned three times at the US Open.

“Novak does not pose any security threat, is one of the healthiest people in the world due to his disciplined life and serves as a role model and inspiration to millions around the world.

“It is in America's interest that the biggest tournament in the world hosts the best player in the world, especially since he just won a seventh Wimbledon title in London,” added Jovanovic in the letter, which is said to have been sent to Biden on July 22.

The group is said to have consulted Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney and her team about the issue, as well as Congressman Frank Mrvan.

Djokovic was included on the provisional US Open entry list last week, although organizers promptly clarified that it was merely a formality, and that they “respected” the American government’s stance on entry rules for non-vaccinated foreigners.

The entry ban on Djokovic has caused frustration among the likes of unvaccinated American player Tennys Sandgren, who will be allowed to play in New York.

The 31-year-old described the situation as “shameful,” while US tennis icon John McEnroe accused politicians of “getting in the way too much.”

Unless Biden heeds the calls from members of the Serbian-American community, the US Open will be the second Grand Slam that Djokovic is forced to miss this year.

The former long-time world number one was infamously deported from Australia at the start of the year in a row over his vaccine status.

Djokovic may be forced to miss the event in Melbourne again next year due to a three-year re-entry ban unless government officials intervene.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×