Nadal, Barty on Miami Open entry list, COVID vaccine border rule would prohibit Djokovic
The Miami Open announced its initial entry list for the upcoming 2022 tournament and it includes 73 of the top 75 ranked men and women in the world.
Among the marquee players on the list are 21-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, coming off his thrilling Australian Open championship, and top-ranked Novak Djokovic, who is not expected to be able to play unless he gets vaccinated against COVID or U.S. COVID border rules change.
Djokovic, who was unvaccinated as of last month, was detained and eventually deported from Australia and unable to play in the Australian Open for failing to meet that country’s strict vaccination requirements.
Neither the ATP nor WTA tours require players to be vaccinated; however, non-U.S. citizens must be fully vaccinated to travel to the U.S. by plane, according to the CDC.
Other players entered in the Miami Open, March 21-April 3 at Hard Rock Stadium, include defending men’s champion Hubert Hurkacz, No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas, Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev and wild card entrants Andy Murray and Nick Kyrgios.
The women’s field is led by top-ranked Ashleigh Barty, the reigning Australian Open champion and two-time defending Miami Open champion. U.S. Open champion Emma Radacanu and French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova are on the list, as are Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens and wild card entry Naomi Osaka.
One of the young players to watch is 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, the Spanish sensation who became the youngest player to win an ATP 500 level event last week in Rio. Last year’s Miami Open finalist and current World No. 10 Jannik Sinner will be aiming for the title.
Other top women include No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, Olympic Gold Medalist Belinda Bencic, No. 4 Paula Badosa, Leylah Fernandez, Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova.
The Miami Open will return to full capacity this year after limited capacity in 2021 and cancelation in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Tickets are available by phone at 305-943-6736 or online at www.miamiopen.com. Individual session tickets start at $18. Ticket packages, mini-plans, group programs, and luxury hospitality offerings are also available.
This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 9:06 PM.