Tommy Haas calls vaccine travel restrictions 'a disgrace' ahead of BNP Paribas Open

With an eye toward having Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic play at this year’s BNP Paribas Open, tournament director Tommy Haas is among those calling for travel restrictions for international travelers coming into the United States to be lifted prior to next month’s event.

Djokovic, a 22-time Grand Slam winner and the top-ranked player in the men’s game, has not played at the Indian Wells tournament since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the U.S. travel restrictions that have followed. The tournament was canceled in 2020, then postponed until late 2021, before returning to its usual March dates last year.

But Djokovic was unable to play at Indian Wells due to requirements imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making all adult visitors who are not citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. show proof of COVID vaccination before entering the country.

Djokovic, who has previously been open about his unwillingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccination and has said he would be willing to miss tournaments over it, was allowed to play in American tournaments in 2021 but withdrew from the three Masters 1000 events in Miami, Cincinnati and Indian Wells. Djokovic played in the U.S. Open that year, reaching the final versus Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, but was later unable to enter the country to play in American events in 2022 due to the travel requirements.

Djokovic’s name is on the BNP Paribas Open entry list, released Wednesday, but the vaccination requirement for international visitors coming to the U.S. is in place until April 10. The Indian Wells tournament runs from March 6-19 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

“It would be nice to see if we could maybe lift those (restrictions) a little earlier and have him come to play Indian Wells and Miami,” Haas told reporters. “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,” added Haas, a former world No. 2 who has been BNP Paribas Open tournament director since 2016.

U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert, who represents parts of the Coachella Valley including Indian Wells, is a cosponsor of a bill (H.R. 185) to remove the foreign travel restriction. The bill passed a House vote Wednesday.

The bill will now move to the Senate for consideration.

“Tourism is a major economic driver in Coachella Valley,” Calvert said in a statement. “When tourism completely shut down due to the pandemic, economists estimated the valley lost nearly $3.5 billion in visitor revenue and more than 24,000 jobs. Thankfully, as restrictions have eased, visitors are returning to Coachella Valley, but one hurdle remains — the vaccine mandate for international travelers. Removing this mandate is critical for widely-attended international events like the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, happening next month.”

Djokovic, 35, is arguably the most high-profile professional athlete affected by the restrictions. The BNP Paribas Open, the fifth-largest annual tennis tournament in the world, behind the Grand Slams in London, Paris, New York and Melbourne, would benefit greatly from Djokovic’s presence in Indian Wells.

No player, man or woman, has won more than Djokovic’s five singles titles at Indian Wells, and Djokovic is routinely among the biggest draws at the event. That he is fresh off an Australian Open title and again the top-ranked player in the game only adds to his star power and fan appeal entering this year’s BNP Paribas Open.

Tennis Hall of Famer Rosie Casals, a Palm Desert resident, believes that Djokovic would be the unquestioned favorite at the tournament if he were allowed to play.

“Outside of Djokovic, who is definitely, undeniably No. 1,” Casals said, “it’s hard to say who is going to win. If he’s able to come, I imagine he would.”

Andrew John covers tennis for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.

[Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Djokovic was unable to play in American tournaments in 2021.]

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Potential Novak Djokovic travel ban called 'a disgrace'