Andy Murray Backs Use Of COVID-19 Vaccine On Tour - UBITENNIS

Andy Murray Backs Use Of COVID-19 Vaccine On Tour

The 33-year-old says he is 'confident' that players will support the implementation of a mandatory vaccine on the Tour.

By Adam Addicott
4 Min Read

Former world No.1 Andy Murray has come out in support of a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine being implemented in tennis and hopes that such an approach would be welcomed by his peers.

The three-time Grand Slam champion believes players would be willing to do so ‘for the good of the sport’ following the impact of the pandemic in 2020. At one stage the ATP Tour was suspended for five months which left players unable to earn any money during that period. Various tournaments were either suspended and cancelled with the US Open held behind closed doors for the first time in history.

“I think that probably should be the case. I would hope that all the players would be willing to do that for the good of the sport – providing everything has proved to be safe, clinical trials and everything have been done and there are not any significant side-effects,” said Murray.

In recent weeks significant progress has been made in the hunt for an effective vaccine. The three biggest breakthroughs have so far come from those currently being developed by Oxford AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.

Unlike Murray, some players have previously expressed caution over taking such a vaccine. Novak Djokovic said earlier this year that he was not in favour of being forced to have one if he didn’t want to because he is cautious over what enters his body. However, he has since clarified that he is not against the implementation of a vaccine.

“I guess it would be difficult. I also read a few weeks after he’d said he (Djokovic) wouldn’t be keen on doing that, if it was something that had to be done for him to play the sport, he would,” said Murray.
“So I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the ATP and the ITF (International Tennis Federation) decide their position is going to be on that. But I’m confident that players would be into it if it meant the tour going back to normality.”

The prospect of a vaccine being used on the Tour is a possibility but it is unlikely to happen for months. In many countries they are still being analysed and are yet to be given the green light for public use by the relevant bodies.

Murray has confirmed he intends to start next year in Australia amid uncertainty over the Tour schedule. Due to government policy, players are not allowed to enter the country until after January 1st and then they will have quarantine for 14 days. Making it likely that the Australian Open will start later than what was originally planned. Although there is yet to be an official announcement.

“It’s obviously tricky for the players. Originally, we planned to go on the 12th or the 13th of December to arrive around the 15th. Then that changed and the latest I’ve heard is that they’ve planned to push it back a couple of weeks,” Murray commented.
“I think that would be the best-case scenario now. That would allow the players to get over there at the beginning of January and prepare properly for the event. I’ll go as soon as I can.”

Murray has only managed to play in four tournaments this year due to both injury and the pandemic. Overall, he has won three out of seven matches played with his best run being at the Western and Southern Open where he defeated Alexander Zverev en route to the third round.

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