sport news Novak Djokovic's coach claims star's denied entry to US 'affected' him in loss ... trends now

Novak Djokovic's coach has claimed that the tennis star's denied entry into the United States for the Indian Wells mentally affected him ahead of his defeat to Daniil Medvedev in Dubai. 

The 22-time Grand Slam winner was defeated in the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships by the World No. 6 on March 3, just two days before he was forced to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open after being denied entry to the United States over vaccine rules.

The Serbian, who is one of the most high-profile athletes unvaccinated against the virus, applied to the US government last month for a waiver to play at ATP Masters events at Indian Wells and Miami.

Current restrictions are due to end in April - leaving Djokovic free to play in this summer's US Open - but he was not granted special treatment in his bid to enter the States early for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

His coach, Goran Ivanisevic, has now insisted that ongoing saga over Djokovic's entry into the US weighed on the player throughout last week's tournament, ultimately resulting in his defeat to eventual champion Medvedev in Dubai. 

Ivanisevic, who has been coaching Djokovic since July 2019, revealed that the 2023 Australian Open winner was already aware that he wouldn't be afforded special treatment from the States ahead of his semi-final clash against Medvedev. 

'Against Medvedev, I felt like he wasn’t mentally present the way he should have been,' Ivanisevic told Tennis Majors. 

'Namely, I think he was affected by everything that was going on regarding the exemption to come to the United States. 

'He gave away a lot of points in that match. When playing against Medvedev, you need to be patient and ready to play for 300 days if that’s what it takes, and Novak was impatient.' 

Djokovic faces a similar fate as he did for Indian Wells for the upcoming Miami Open, which starts on March 22. 

He is still hopeful to get an exemption for the tournament at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida and even has the backing of State Governor Ron DeSantis.

The Florida Governor is determined to get Djokovic in his state to play the Miami Open and has written President Biden a letter urging him to let the tennis star into the United States. 

As he continued to find ways skirting 'ancient' vaccine mandates for foreign visitors, DeSantis even joked that he may need a boat from the Bahamas to south Florida. 

While DeSantis persists, Djokovic and his team also still haven't given up hope of getting into the country either. 

However, Ivanisevic claimed that it wouldn't be 'the end of the world' if Djokovic is unable to play in Miami as it might not stand him in good stead for the upcoming clay-court season back in Europe.  

'We haven’t given up,' Ivanisevic insisted. 'He wants to play and I would love it if they allow him – it would be great both for him and for tennis. 

'If not, it’s not the end of the world, he didn’t play last year as well. The most important thing is that we find out soon, so that we can make a plan.

'Although, in terms of preparing for the European clay court season, I’m not sure playing in Miami is the best solution. 

'It depends on Novak – in the past he has triumphed in Monte Carlo having played in Indian Wells and Miami. If he is mentally ready and in his fighter mode, like he was in Australia, then anything is possible.'

The US is the only country on the ATP tour for which players must be vaccinated - though that rule is set to be lifted on May 11 by President Joe Biden's office - three months before the Grand Slam US Open.

Ivanisevic insisted that

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