Melbourne: Novak Djokovic, who shares 20 Grand Slam titles with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, declined to declare his vaccination status again this week, saying he was unsure if he would defend his Australian Open title while authorities worked out COVID-19 limitations for the tournament.
“Things being as they are, I still don’t know if I will go to Melbourne,” the world No.1 told Serbian daily Blic.
“I will not reveal my status whether I have been vaccinated or not. It is a private matter and an inappropriate inquiry. People go too far these days in taking the liberty to ask questions and judge a person. Whatever you say ‘yes, no, maybe, I am thinking about it’, they will take advantage.”
The 34-year-old has won the Australian Open a record nine times, including the last three seasons.
“Of course, I want to go. Australia is my most successful Grand Slam tournament,” he said. “I want to compete, I love this sport and I am still motivated. I am following the situation regarding the Australian Open and I understand the final decision (on restrictions) will be made in two weeks. I believe there will be a lot of restrictions just like this year, but I doubt there will be too many changes. My manager, who is in contact with the Australian tennis federation, tells me they are trying to improve the conditions for everyone, both for those who have been vaccinated and those who have not.”
@DjokerNole is an Anti Vaxer , @AustralianOpen
2022 has a vaccine mandate so he might miss the slam. https://t.co/m2bP9xslVR— Aflal Farouk (@AflalFarouk) October 15, 2021
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews however, opposed special arrangements to let unvaccinated athletes compete in the state, which will host the Grand Slam in January at Melbourne Park.
“I don’t think an unvaccinated tennis player is going to get a visa to come into this country and if they did get a visa, they’d probably have to quarantine for a couple of weeks,” Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews was quoted as saying by Reuters.
“On the question of vaccination, no, The virus doesn’t care what your tennis ranking is, or how many Grand Slams you’ve won. It’s completely irrelevant. You need to be vaccinated to keep yourself safe and to keep others safe.”
“I don’t think that the person you indicated (Djokovic) or any other tennis player, let’s not personalise it … or golfer or Formula One driver will even get a visa to get here. If I’m wrong, I’m sure the federal government will let you know,” he added.
Since August, Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, has been under lockdown to combat the highly infectious Delta form. From Friday, when 70% of Victoria’s adult population is expected to be completely vaccinated, restrictions for the city’s five million residents will be relaxed. While Australia’s borders have been closed to non-residents, though authorities have provided visas to athletes and sports staff for important events, such as the recent Australian Open in February.
Professional athletes were recently included in a vaccine obligation that included millions of “authorised workers” in Victoria, without specifying if it applied to athletes from other countries or other Australian states. Authorized workers must receive their first immunization shot by October 15 and their second by November 26 or face being barred from their workplaces, according to the regulation. “Professional sport is part of those (items on the) authorized worker list and they have to be double-dose vaccinated,” Andrews said, adding that Victoria’s stance could be a “moot point”, given the federal government might not issue visas to unvaccinated athletes.
Unvaccinated people, on the other hand, will be excluded from sporting events, as well as restaurants, pubs, and other businesses. According to Andrews, the restriction on unvaccinated fans might last until the April 2022 Formula One Australian Grand Prix.
“This is here for a while …. We’re not going to be essentially encouraging people to not get vaccinated because they reckon they can wait a few months or a few weeks, you can`t wait out coronavirus.” he said.
