All players playing the Australian Open, scheduled for January in Melbourne, will have to be vaccinated against Covid-19, tournament manager Craig Tiley confirmed on Saturday, November 20, increasing the pressure on the world number one, the Serbian Novak Djokovic, nine times titled in Melbourne and who refuses to say if he is vaccinated or not.
The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, will be held January 17-30 in Melbourne. Australia’s second-largest city has just emerged from more than 260 cumulative days of confinement, making it one of the longest-placed cities in the world.
Last month, the state of Victoria, whose capital is Melbourne, had already ruled out granting a special exemption to unvaccinated players so that they could participate in the tournament.“There is a lot of speculation about vaccination and to be completely clear when the Prime Minister (of the State of Victoria) announced that everyone at the site should be vaccinated, we made it known. to the players “Craig Tiley told Channel Nine.
Six weeks ago, only 50% of players were fully vaccinated, but that rate jumped to 80% after the Victoria government announced, he said, adding that he “continues to get closer to 100%”. “All players understand it, our sponsors will need to be vaccinated, all staff working at the Australian Open will need to be vaccinated”, he insisted.
The Happy Slam is coming back in a big way #AusOpen # AO2022 pic.twitter.com/xJOKmGeWhW
– #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) November 19, 2021
Novak Djokovic, who could aim for a historic 21st Grand Slam title in Melbourne, “said he considered it a private matter, continued Craig Tiley. We would love to see Novak here. He knows he will have to be vaccinated to play here “.
For the 2021 edition of the Australian Open, scheduled for February instead of January, the players and their coaches had to observe a quarantine of two weeks in hotels. The spectator gauge had been set at 30,000 per day, or 50% of the capacity, and during the tournament, a five-day confinement had been decreed in the state of Victoria. Organizers have announced that this time the stands can be full, with the vaccination rate in the state of Victoria approaching 90%.
Apart from Djokovic, Craig Tiley confirmed the participation of Rafael Nadal, also in search of a 21st Grand Slam coronation. On the women’s side, world number one Ashleigh Barty will try to win at home, against defending champion Naomi Osaka who has confirmed her presence, as will Serena Williams who is aiming for a 24th Grand Slam.