Unvaccinated players ‘unlikely’ to be allowed to compete at Australian Open

The Victorian government will not apply for exemptions for unvaccinated players travelling from overseas to compete at the 2022 Australian Open, the state’s premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed. Andrews said that it was “the only fair thing to do”, and his comments cast a huge question mark over whether players who have not taken the jab will be able to compete at all.

Whether or not Australia would allow unvaccinated people into its borders has been a matter of some confusion. The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison indicated in television interviews recently that unvaccinated tennis players would be allowed to get exemptions to enter the country, provided they undergo two weeks in hotel quarantine. There are some exemptions to long-term international border protections rules for some who qualify under skilled worker or economic benefit criteria. Speaking to Australia’s Nine Network, Morrison said: “If there is a special exemption that is warranted for an economic reason, well, that can happen. But you’ve got to follow the health rules in that state – and two weeks’ quarantine for unvaccinated people, well, that’s sensible.”

However, the ultimate decision on regulations for the Australian Open falls to the state of Victoria and Andrews, who put the point beyond doubt. Victoria has a cap on unvaccinated people arriving, and Andrews said: “What I want to make very clear is that the state of Victoria will not be applying for any exemptions for unvaccinated players… Therefore the issue is basically resolved. I am not going to ask and require people sitting in the grandstand, people working at the event to be vaccinated while players aren’t.”

The exchange between Morrison and Andrews followed a leaked email earlier this week from the WTA to its Players’ Council which suggested unvaccinated players would likely be granted a visa but must do two weeks in isolation. The email said Tennis Australia was still working with the government on the details but because Victoria state was expected to hit a vaccination target of 90% of the adult population by next month, “it has been confirmed that conditions for the players at the Australian Open will improve significantly”. Tennis Australia then said it was “optimistic that we can hold the Australian Open as close to pre-pandemic conditions as possible”.

One of the big potential consequences here is whether Djokovic will be allowed to compete

The question of whether players should be vaccinated has caused contention within the professional ranks – defending Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic is among the players advocating for the decision to remain a personal choice, while others (including Andy Murray) say it should be mandated. Both the men’s and women’s tours are currently recommending all players get vaccinated, but have thus far not enforced the requirement.

One of the big potential consequences here is whether Djokovic will be allowed to compete, defending his title and competing for a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam in the men’s game. He has refused to disclose his vaccination status and, speaking to the Serbian newspaper Blic, he recently said: “I don’t know if I’m going to Australia, I don’t know what’s going on. Currently, the situation is not good at all. I have my opinion and it has always been the same. I will not reveal my status whether I have been vaccinated or not.”

Morrison, for his part, says Australia needs some flexibility in order to stage major events: “We’re going to have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world … one of the lowest fatality rates from Covid in the world and the strongest economy coming through Covid. We want major events in this country. We want Australia to show to the world that we’re open, we’re getting on with it.”
The Australian Open is due to start on 17 January 2022 in Melbourne, Victoria.