Rafael Nadal aims sly dig at Novak Djokovic for missing US Open over vaccine stance

dailystar.co.uk:

Rafael Nadal responded to Novak Djokovic’s absence at the US Open by stating tennis is “bigger than any player”. The Serbian’s refusal to take the Coronavirus vaccine means he is ineligible to to enter the country as a result of their strict restrictions.

While Djokovic was allowed to play at Wimbledon, which he went on to win by overcoming Nick Kyrgios in the final, his stance on the Coronavirus vaccine has also seen him be deported from Australia in the build up to the Australian Open.

Instead of fighting his case, Djokovic simply confirmed his absence from this year’s tournament at Flushing Meadows. And while Nadal admitted his fierce rival’s absence from the competition was “sad news” for tennis fans, the Spaniard does not believe anybody is bigger than the sport itself.Read More: Novak Djokovic had locker room fight with rival after 'chirping' after US Open win “In some way we know that Novak will not play for a while if nothing changes in terms of the rules, no?

We knew this months ago,” said the No.2 seed. “From my personal perspective, it is very sad news.“It's always a shame when the best players of the world are not able to play a tournament because of injuries or because of different reasons.