NEW YORK—Rafa Nadal said it was sad news that his great rival Novak Djokovic will be missing from the U.S. Open, adding that the absence of a player of the Serbian’s calibre was an important miss for the hardcourt Grand Slam.
Djokovic, who won Wimbledon to take his major singles titles to 21, has opted not to be vaccinated against COVID-19. He said on Thursday he could not fly to New York for the year’s final Grand Slam.
Rules require travelers to show proof of vaccination to board flights to enter the United States.
“From my personal perspective, it’s very sad news,” Nadal, who leads the men’s Grand Slam race with 22 titles, told reporters on Friday….