Tennis
Australian Open Will Officially Require Players To Be Fully Vaccinated
by privatebet.com - 2021/11/20
After a lot of speculations about the potential vaccine mandate at the upcoming Australian Open, things are finally official. The tournament director Craig Tiley confirmed that players will have to be fully vaccinated to take part in the first Grand Slam of the year. CEO of Tennis Australia discussed rumors that unvaccinated players will not be allowed to compete at the Australian Open during a recent appearance on “The Today Show” and explained why they made this difficult decision. “It is the one direction that you take, that you can ensure everyone’s safety. All the playing group understands it. Our patrons will need to be vaccinated, all the staff working the Australian Open need to be vaccinated,” said Tiley. Australian Open’s vaccine mandate calls the participation of several top players into question. Tiley singled out Novak Djokovic, who’s been persistent in his decision to keep his vaccination status private. Tiley said he hopes we’ll get to see Novak in Melbourne because he always said “that the Australian Open is the event that puts the wind in his sails.” Australian Open will run from January 17-30, 2022 in Melbourne. Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka lifted the singles trophies last year, and the tennis lovers are hoping they’ll return to defend their titles.