You don’t have a vaccine, you can’t play: Djokovic may lose his favorite grand slam! – Športky.sk

CANBERRA – Tennis players without a coronavirus vaccination will not receive Australian visas to attend the January Australian Open. This was stated by the Minister of Immigration Alex Hawke, who rejected any exceptions. Tennis professionals will be subject to the same rules as anyone else and Australia will not accept unvaccinated foreigners even after the borders have been opened.

This raises questions about the start of world unit Novak Djokovic, who in the past opposed vaccination and did not want it to be mandatory on the tennis circuit. Refusing to his privacy, he refuses to disclose whether he has been vaccinated. But he said he did not know if he would defend the title at the opening grand slam of the season.

Australian rules are strict. “You have to be vaccinated if you want to visit Australia. This is a universal rule not only for tennis players. I mean, every visitor to Australia will have to have two doses of the vaccine.” said the minister.

According to recent media reports, about a third of tennis professionals are unvaccinated. Both the ATP and WTA leaders have called on their players to be vaccinated. For example, US Open winner Daniil Medvedev or world number four Alexander Zverev were skeptical about the vaccination, although it is not clear how personal they are.

The rules apply to everyone

Even if unvaccinated tennis players were given visas, they probably wouldn’t be allowed to play in Melbourne anyway. Victoria officials have previously heard that vaccination will be mandatory for professional athletes and that foreign tennis players will be no exception. The Australian Tennis Federation, which organizes the Australian Open, is negotiating with local authorities on the exact conditions for the participation of players, fans and accompanying members.

“We understand that the details of foreign visitors to our country will still be decided, and we hope to receive the information soon.” stated the federation.

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt stressed that all rules are conducted to protect Australians. Thanks to isolation from the surrounding area and strict domestic rules, including long lockdowns, this island country has remained low on coronavirus-infected numbers and Covid-19 deaths. For Australian citizens, the borders should open in a few weeks, but for others it should not happen until early 2022.

The Australian Open Melbourne venue has been in another lockdown since August due to the spread of a more contagious delta mutation. However, the rules should be relaxed from Friday, as 70 percent of adult vaccinations will be required in the state of Victoria.

• The author: © List
• Source: ČTK