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Djokovic missed last year's Australian Open and was deported
from the country due to being unvaccinated against COVID. His
three-year visa ban was overturned in November and he is back at
the Grand Slam looking to win a 10th crown and 22nd major.
The Serbian was, however, not able to travel to New York for the
2022 U.S. Open without proof of vaccination, the same reason
that forced him to skip ATP 1000 events at Indian Wells and
Miami earlier in the year.
U.S. authorities said this month the requirement for foreign air
travellers to be vaccinated against COVID would be in place
until at least April 10, meaning Djokovic will miss out on
Indian Wells and Miami again.
Haas, also a former world number two player, said he hoped the
rules would be relaxed sooner to allow Djokovic to compete.
"If Djokovic stays healthy, I don't see how he's not going to be
number one," Haas told reporters at Melbourne Park on Monday.
"Obviously the one problem being that he still cannot come to
the U.S. If he doesn't play Indian Wells and Miami in March (it
will be tough), they're supposed to lift those mandates by
mid-April.
"It would be nice to see if we could maybe lift those a little
earlier and have him come to play Indian Wells and Miami. I
think he wants to play, so we should give him the chance.
Hopefully we can have him there.
"I mean, it would be a disgrace in my eyes if he wasn't coming
to these events, or not allowed to come."
Haas added Indian Wells organisers would do "everything" to help
Djokovic's chances of playing there.
Indian Wells runs from March 8-19 and the Miami Open from March
22-April 2. The 35-year-old has previously stated he would miss
Grand Slams rather than have a COVID vaccine.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Edwina
Gibbs)
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