On the eve of the event, Novak Djokovic withdrew from the event because he is not up to date on his vaccinations.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was cited as the reason for the inability to play by the No. 2 seed. Foreign visitors to the US are required to be vaccine free.
The Miami Open gets underway later this month. The tournaments are Masters 1000-level.
I knew it would be unlikely that I would be able to travel since I was automatically listed.
As international COVID regulations are always being amended, I wanted to wait and see if anything would change. I will not be playing in the US because the CDC confirmed that regulations are not changing. I hope to be back playing for my fans on the tour soon, I know my fans are looking forward to seeing me play again.
The main draw for the men's event starts Thursday in Indian Wells, California. The tournament admitted at that time that it had not been determined if he would participate in the event.
The lucky loser from the qualification will take Grigor's original slot in the draw.
During the last month of the tournament in Dubai, the Serb played in just one event. He received a medical exemption to play in the Australian Open in January, sparking immediate backlash and leading to a legal battle. He was deported after his visa was revoked by the Australian government. He said he was prepared to skip future Grand Slam events if a vaccine was required.
He told the BBC in February that he was willing to pay that price.
He has been replaced as the world's top ranked tennis player by Daniil Medvedev and watched as Rafael Nadal broke the record for most major titles by a male player in tennis history.
With differing regulations in different countries and with restrictions easing in certain places, it's not clear when and where he'll next play. He is the defending champion at the French Open and the European clay-court season begins in April.
Information from The Associated Press was used.
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