Djokovic will need to be vaccinated to play Australian Open: minister
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[October 21, 2021] By
Colin Packham
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic will not be able to enter
Australia to defend his Australian Open title unless he is fully
vaccinated for COVID-19, the country's immigration minister said on
Wednesday, putting the Serb's Grand Slam record bid in doubt.
World number one Djokovic, who is level with Roger Federer and Rafa
Nadal on 20 Grand Slam titles, has declined to reveal his
vaccination status, and said he is unsure if he will defend his
Australian Open crown.
Clarifying Australia's visa requirements, Minister for Immigration
Alex Hawke said foreign players would need to have had two
vaccination shots to play the Grand Slam at Melbourne Park in
January.
"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,” Hawke told
Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.
"I don’t have a message to Novak. I have a message to everybody that
wishes to visit Australia. He’ll need to be double vaccinated."
Apart from Serbian Djokovic, who has won nine of his Grand Slam
titles at the Australian Open and the last three in succession at
Melbourne Park, the rule could exclude scores of players from the
tournament.
More than a third of professional players remain unvaccinated,
according to recent media reports.
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Both the men's ATP and women's WTA tours have urged players to get
vaccinated but some have voiced reservations.
Russian men's U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev and German world
number four Alex Zverev have expressed scepticism, although their
vaccination status remains unknown.
Greek world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas said in August he would
only get vaccinated if it became mandatory, though later said he
planned to have shots by the end of the year.
Tennis Australia, which organises the Grand Slam, said it was
working with authorities on conditions for players, fans and
tournament staff.
"Our understanding is that the details around international visitors
entering the country are yet to be decided and we hope to have more
information soon," the governing body said.
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![](../images/102121PIX/sports13.jpg)
A person wearing a protective face mask walks past an Australian
Open logo at Melbourne Park in advance of the tennis tournament,
which will start later than usual due to a coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) postponement, in Melbourne, Australia, January 31, 2021.
REUTERS/Loren Elliott
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Australia's health minister Greg Hunt said the
country's rules were about protecting Australians.
"They apply to everyone without fear or favour. It doesn't matter
whether you are number one in the world or you are anything else,"
he told a media conference on Wednesday.
Australia has shut its international borders to non-citizens and
non-permanent residents for 18 months, though there have been some
high-profile exceptions.
International travel is expected to begin for Australian citizens
within weeks, but non-citizens are expected to be shut out until
early-2022.
Authorities in Victoria state, which hosts the Australian Open, said
they would not make special deals with unvaccinated athletes to
allow them to compete even if they secured visas.
Melbourne, Australia's second largest city, has been locked down
since August due to an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta
variant but will begin to open up on Friday, when 70% of the adult
population in Victoria is expected to be fully vaccinated.
(Additional reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne and Renju Jose in
Sydney; Editing by Toby Davis & Shri Navaratnam)
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