Unvaccinated players are ‘unlikely’ to be allowed to compete in the Australian Open
According to the leader of the state in which the tournament is held, players who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 are unlikely to be allowed into the nation for the Australian Open. The Grand Slam tournament will begin on January 17 in Melbourne, Victoria. Professional athletes are required to be vaccinated by the state.
“I don’t believe an unvaccinated tennis player will be able to enter our nation,” Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews stated.
“If they did acquire a visa, they’d most likely have to stay in quarantine for a few weeks. I’m confident the federal government will let you know if I’m wrong. The virus is unconcerned about your tennis ranking or the number of Grand Slams you’ve won. It makes no difference. You must be vaccinated in order to protect yourself and others.”
Novak Djokovic, the incumbent men’s champion and world number one, refused to announce his vaccination status again on Monday, saying he was doubtful if he would defend his title in Melbourne, where he has won nine times.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner stated it was “a private matter and an inappropriate inquiry” in an interview with Serbian daily Blic.
Last week, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared that international travel to and from the country for citizens and permanent residents would resume on November 1st, but that no decision to allow other visa holders had yet been made.
The event in 2021 was postponed by three weeks, and players were required to stay in a hotel for a fortnight after arriving in the country.
Tennis Australia insisted in May that the tournament would take place in January 2022, and organisers indicated in August that they hoped players would be able to spend two weeks in a biosecure bubble rather than hotel quarantine.
