World No. 1, five-time champion Novak Djokovic withdraws from Indian Wells
BNP Paribas Open tournament officials announced Sunday night that Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the tournament.
World No.1 Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the 2023 BNP Paribas Open.
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 6, 2023
With his withdrawal, Nikoloz Basilashvili moves into the field.#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/wUcBn5upc7
Reports say Djokovic's unvaccinated status remains the deciding factor.
Novak Djokovic has chosen not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and the U.S. government has chosen not to relax its policy against unvaccinated individuals from entering the country.
— TENNIS (@Tennis) March 6, 2023
The world No. 1 will not play Indian Wells: https://t.co/OHeczh66WU
This is the fourth-straight year Djokovic will not be in the field.
The five-time champion has the tournament record with 20 consecutive wins from 2014 to 2017.