No Australian Open for unvaccinated tennis players

Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic has no choice but to be double vaccinated if he wants to enter Australia to pursue a record-breaking 21st major title at January’s Australian Open.

The issue of mandatory inoculation for international tennis stars was determined after Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said on Wednesday that double jab requirements applied to all visitors to Australia no exemptions.

“The government in establishing its borders has said that you’ll need to be double vaccinated to visit Australia. That’s a universal application, not just to tennis players. I mean that every visitor to Australia will need to be double vaccinated,” Mr Hawke said on ABC radio.

Up to now Djokovic has refused to reveal his vaccination status and if he doesn‘t change this stance then he won’t be defending his Australian Open crown.

And it won‘t just be the men’s best player who will be missing with both the men’s and women’s tours having more than a third of the players not yet fully vaccinated.

On Tuesday Djokovic, who is chasing his 10th Australian Open title, revealed he was unsure if he would be making the trip Down Under.

“Things being as they are, I still don‘t know if I will go to Melbourne,” Djokovic said.

“I will not reveal my status, whether I have been vaccinated or not. It is a private matter and an inappropriate inquiry.”

Djokovic got Covid last year in June at the time Djokovic said his coronavirus symptoms were mild, lasting four to five days.

He said he had no fever but did have fatigue and some loss of smell and taste and sensed some loss of stamina when he initially returned to practice.

Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas has softened his anti-vaccination stance and declared last week he would fall into line with each country‘s requirements.

“I will play under the conditions that have been set now. I think it’s fair,“ he said.