Former tennis world number one Novak Djokovic said on Thursday that he will not be able to travel to New York to compete at the U.S. Open, the last Grand Slam of the year that begins next week.

Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios has been handed a wildcard into next month's U.S. Open tune-up event in Cincinnati, Ohio, organisers of the Western & Southern Open said on Monday.

Almost 12,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to work with the country's government to allow Novak Djokovic to compete in the U.S. Open despite his refusal to take the Covid-19 vaccine.