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[ad_1] Urge American authorities to allow Serbian to play in country despite being unvaccinated LOS ANGELES: Novak Djokovic 's bid to gain entry to the United States for ATP events at Indian wells and Miami received support from the US Tennis Association and US Open organizers on Friday. The Serbian star is currently barred from entering the United States because he is unvaccinated against Covid-19, but has petitioned US authorities for special permission to enter. The US Open Twitter feed featured a post on Friday saying American tennis authorities hoped he would be allowed to enter. "Novak Djokovic is one the greatest champions our sport has ever seen," the post said. "The USTA and US Open are hopeful that Novak is successful in his petition to enter the country, and that the fans will be able to see him back in action at Indian Wells and Miami." The Indian Wells ATP 1000 event begins next Wednesday in the California desert and is followed by the

[ad_1] NEW YORK: Novak Djokovic ensured he will return to the top of tennis's world rankings with an emphatic first round victory at the US Open on Monday as women's world number one Iga Swiatek and American rival Coco Gauff advanced. Djokovic, chasing a record-extending 24th Grand Slam singles title in New York, shrugged off a late-night start on the Arthur Ashe Stadium to demolish France's Alexandre Muller 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 in just 1hr 35min. The win means Djokovic is guaranteed to replace defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz as world number one when the tennis rankings are next updated after the tournament. Djokovic is playing in New York for the first time since suffering an agonising defeat in the 2021 final in New York. He was barred from entry to the United States in 2022 for his refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19, meaning he was unable to play the US Open. On Monday the 36-year-old played like a man making up for lost time, reeling off 32 winn