Djokovic to play Australian Open after vaccination waiver against Covid

Tennis player Novak Djokovic confirmed this Tuesday (4) that he will seek his tenth Australian Open title after receiving an exemption that waives the obligation to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to play in the tournament, from January 17th.

The world number 1, who refuses to disclose his vaccination status, previously said he was unsure whether he would compete in the first Grand Slam of the year due to concerns about immunization rules required by the Australian government. To enter the country without being immunized it is necessary to receive a special authorization.

“I spent a fantastic time with my loved ones while on vacation and today I’m going to Australia with a waiver permit. We’re going to 2022,” wrote the Serbian tennis player on social media alongside a photo with his luggage at the airport.

The tournament confirmed following the athlete’s publication that his application was accepted after a “rigorous review process involving two independent and separate panels of medical experts”. The health protocols were defined by Tennis Australia, responsible for the sport in the country, and by the department of health of the state of Victoria, where Melbourne is located.

Among the medical reasons for receiving permission are vaccine-related adverse events and a positive PCR test for the disease in the past six months. It is not clear which is the case for Djokovic. The tournament does not intend to comment on the reasons for each exception.

Last year, tournament director Craig Tiley said he expected more than 95% of tennis players to be vaccinated for the match. Other cases of medical exception have not yet been disclosed.

In April 2020, even before the Covid-19 vaccine was a reality, the Serbian tennis player declared himself against the obligation of immunization to compete in the circuit.

“Personally, I am against vaccination and would not like to be forced by someone to get a vaccine in order to travel,” he said in a conversation with other Serbian athletes on social media.

The tennis player never went deeply into the subject, which he considers to be his personal sphere. “I’m not a specialist, but I want to have the option of choosing what’s best for my body,” he said in a note on the same occasion.

In June of last year, he contracted Covid-19 during a streak of tournaments he held in Serbia and Croatia. At a time when the world sport was taking over with a series of care measures, the Adria Tour waived most of the sanitary restrictions. For example, the presence of the public was released, and the use of a mask was not mandatory.

The 2022 Australian Open is the first major tennis tournament that requires athletes to be vaccinated. Last year, when access to immunizing agents was still low worldwide, athletes had to complete a period of isolation, including restricted training, before being able to circulate freely.

Novak’s father, Srdjan Djokovic, told a Serbian television channel that his son would likely withdraw from the 2022 Australian Open because he was the victim of “blackmail.”

At the end of 2021, the tennis player abandoned the ATP Cup, a competition between countries also in Australia, and raised even more doubts about his participation in the Slam.

Djokovic has won a record nine Australian Open titles, including the last three, and is in a triple draw with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in 20 Slams trophies.