On Friday night, Senator Rick Scott (R, FL) tweeted that tennis star Novak Djokovic’s bid to enter the United States to play the upcoming tennis tournaments at Miami and Mineral Wells has been denied because Djokovic is unvaccinated.
Now, Scott and fellow Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) are asking the Biden administration to intervene.
Djokovic had requested a vaccine waiver last month but was denied.
🚨 BREAKING: We have been told that @DHSgov just denied @DjokerNole‘s vaccine waiver request, making him ineligible to compete in the US next week in CA & in the @MiamiOpen. @JoeBiden must fix this NOW, grant the waiver & allow him to compete here in the states. https://t.co/TSD10yM8u6
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) March 3, 2023
It makes NO SENSE that @JoeBiden says COVID-19 is over but still bars @DJokerNole from competing at the Miami Open because of his bogus vaccine mandate.
We need to pass our FREEBIRD Act with @SenMikeLee to fix this NOW. https://t.co/ziFqzxX5OA
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) March 4, 2023
The United States maintains a ban on unvaccinated foreign travelers that is in place until May 11.
Djokovic’s unvaccinated status caused him to miss six major events in 2022 – two Grans Slams and four Masters level events.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts against Daniil Medvedev during day thirteen of the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis at Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Stadium on March 03, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Amin Mohammad Jamali/Getty Images)
In their letter, Scott and Rubio point out the hypocrisy of America’s stance on not allowing unvaccinated travelers to enter the country by highlighting a 60 Minutes interview in which Biden said the pandemic was over. In addition to an article written by Dr. Anthony Fauci in which the former NIH wrote of the “limited efficacy of vaccines in protecting against respiratory pathogens, like the novel coronavirus.”
If that weren’t enough, one would think the fact that Djokovic just recently won the Australian Open might come into play. Australia has implemented some of the most draconian Covid restrictions anywhere in the world. After initially deporting the unvaccinated Djokovic from Australia in 2021, the Aussies eventually relented and let Djokovic enter the country to compete this year.