Tennis: what if unvaccinated players could participate in the Australian Open?

Players not vaccinated against Covid-19 will be able to participate in the Australian Open in Melbourne in January with quarantine and regular testing, according to an email from the WTA obtained and published by a specialist journalist.

The WTA player email was forwarded to New York Times tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg, who posted it on his Twitter account.

The WTA has told players that unvaccinated athletes will be permitted to play at next year's #AustralianOpen if they complete two weeks of hard hotel quarantine - but the Victorian government says the matter is not yet settled #SpringSt https://t.co/CYt8YaRyOr

- The Age (@theage) October 25, 2021

The information contradicts statements made by several senior Australian officials, according to which the unvaccinated would not obtain visas.

"Any visitor to Australia should be doubly vaccinated," said Federal Minister of Immigration Alex Hawke a few days ago.

The decision announced in the WTA email will likely also apply to players in the men's round, which would allow world number one Novak Djokovic to participate.

Will Djokovic be able to defend his title after quarantine?

The Serb, defending champion in Melbourne and in search of a historic 21st Grand Slam title, has in the past publicly taken a stand against vaccines, refusing to say whether he himself had been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Last week, he questioned his presence at the Australian Open.

According to the mail from the WTA, the vaccinated players will not need to carry out a quarantine on arrival nor to be cloistered in sanitary "bubbles", and will enjoy "total freedom of movement".

On the other hand, continues the document, the unvaccinated will have to undergo 14 days of quarantine in hotel and regular tests.

Decision in two weeks

"We are reaching out to all of you to clarify false and misleading information being disseminated by third parties about the conditions that players will be facing" in Melbourne, the email said. “Because the vaccination rate in the state of Victoria (where Melbourne is located) will reach 80% at the end of the week and 90% next month, it is confirmed that the conditions for players at the Open d ' Australia will improve significantly, ”the text continues.

The Minister of Sports of the State of Victoria, Martin Pakula, however clarified that the rules concerning the vaccination of the players of the Open were "not yet fixed".

"We are still discussing (…) whether the rule for international arrivals of unvaccinated people will be 14 days of quarantine or else non-acceptance in the country," he said.

"It shouldn't be decided for about two weeks."