Novak Djokovic has fallen down the world rankings to number seven as his anti-vaccination stance continues to cause him problems, with his place in the season ending ATP Tour finals in the balance.
The 35-year-old won his 21st Grand Slam title at Wimbledon earlier this year sitting just one behind Rafael Nadal. However, his unvaccinated status has meant missing this year's US Open and Australian Open amongst a host of other tournaments.
Only the world's top-seven singles players automatically qualify for November's Tour finals in Turin. However, the eighth spot is reserved for a Grand Slam winner from that year ranked inside the top 20.
Luckily for Djokovic the US Open winner Carlos Alcaraz is world number one while French and Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal is also well inside the top-seven swinging the eighth selection place in the favour of the Serbian.
However, with two months remaining of ATP Tour events until the Turin finals Djokovic needs to return to competitive action and maintain his top-20 place.
Djokovic remains a part of the 'rest of the world' Laver Cup team taking place at the O2 in London later this month, but that does not carry ATP World Tour points.
Defending his Paris Masters title could bring some welcome ranking points for the Serbian, while the ATP 500 event in Tokyo and The Astana Open are also opportunities to boost his ranking.
In 2020 Djokovic revealed he was "opposed to vaccination" amid the Covid-19 pandemic, but also added he was "no expert". "My issue here with vaccines is if someone is forcing me to put something in my body that I don't want," he said.
The Serbian has been forced to withdraw from events in Miami and Indian Wells this year, but has insisted he won't be vaccinated in order to play tournaments.
He also missed the US Open this month, with unvaccinated personnel currently barred from entering America and Australian Open after a long debacle over his entry.
Tennis icon John McEnroe pleaded with the US unsuccessfully to allow Djokovic into the country for this month's major.
“These politicians are getting in the way too much," said McEnroe. "Let’s let the guy come in and play in the U.S. I mean come on. This is ridiculous. But I don’t make those decisions. I hope someone makes the right one and allows him to play. That’s my personal opinion."
