Entertainment Sports Novak Djokovic Has ‘Zero Regret’ About Missing Last Two Years of U.S. Tournaments Over Vaccine Refusal Djokovic skipped last year's US Open because international travelers were still required to be vaccinated at the time By Sean Neumann Sean Neumann Sean Neumann is a reporter at PEOPLE. He has been working at PEOPLE since 2019. His work has previously appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, ESPN, and more. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 16, 2023 01:25PM EDT Close Novak Djokovic. Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Novak Djokovic has “zero regret” about skipping last year’s US Open as a result of his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID. Djokovic, 36, holds the all-time record with 23 Grand Slam titles, but he missed the 2021 and 2022 editions of the Grand Slam tournament in New York City because he will not get vaccinated. At this time last year, the United States had still required international travelers to be vaccinated against COVID — a requirement the government dropped this past May, clearing the way for Djokovic to compete in this month’s US Open. The Serbian tennis star repeatedly made headlines throughout the COVID pandemic for both his refusal to get vaccinated against the disease and also for unapologetically breaking social distancing regulations a number of times. He has said that he would rather skip tournaments in certain countries rather than get vaccinated, according to ESPN. Djokovic spoke with reporters ahead of this week’s Western & Southern Open tournament in Mason, Ohio, where he’ll play before traveling to Queens, New York for the US Open later this month. The tennis star doubled down on his decision to remain unvaccinated and ultimately miss the Grand Slam tournaments in New York while talking with reporters. “The reason why I was not here for two years, I have zero regret on that,” Djokovic said, according to CNN. “I’m just glad to be back.” Novak Djokovic Returns to Australia a Year After COVID Deportation, Aims for 10th Australian Open Title Novak Djokovic. Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Djokovic said he’s looking forward to competing in the American tournament again, noting he’s performed well in the country throughout his career.“I’ve had plenty of success on American soil with Indian Wells, Miami, obviously Canada and here, won many times at these Masters 1,000 events, all of them,” he said. “Of course, the US Open as well being the pinnacle of the hard-court season — I’m just excited.” Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The tennis star’s unwillingness to get vaccinated in recent years came as he claimed he had “a big desire” to play in a number of tournaments held in the U.S., according to The New York Times. All About Novak Djokovic's 2 Children Djokovic’s refusal to get the vaccine didn’t just keep him out of Grand Slam tournaments in the U.S., either. The Serbian tennis star dominated sports headlines in January 2022 when he was deported from Australia for not meeting the country’s vaccine requirements, ending a 10-day standoff with the country over its rules. He returned there this year under revised vaccine rules, winning the Australian Open and tying Rafael Nadal for the most Grand Slam tournament wins all-time — a record he's since surpassed with his French Open win in June.