The debate over the use of COVID-19 vaccinations among players on the Tour have taken a new turn with a change made to some of the rules to favour those who have had it.
Earlier in the week at the Miami Open a series of top names from both the men’s and women’s Tour voiced caution over having the injection in the near future. Elina Svitolina told reporters that she wanted to wait due to potential side effects, Aryan Sabalenka said she was concerned about how quickly it has been developed and Andrey Rublev admitted that he wouldn’t have a vaccine if it was his choice.
In the aftermath of those comments, both the ATP and WTA issued statements urging players to be vaccinated if they have the opportunity to do so. Simona Halep, who had the virus last year, is one of the top players to have already been vaccinated. In a bid to persuade players, it has emerged that the tennis governing bodies are making changes to to their rules for those who have already had it done.
Tennis Majors have reported that the ATP have updated their COVID-19 protocols this week. Players who have ‘fully completed’ their vaccination program will no longer have to go into quarantine following PCR tests at tournaments. Meaning they will be allowed to go to the practice courts right away. A key factor for many considering the short turnaround between tournaments.
“Persons who have fully completed the Covid vaccination process may be exempt from quarantine after their initial PCR test on arrival to the tournament,” the protocol reads. “Persons who have completed both doses of two dose vaccines (ie Pfizer, Moderna, Astra Zeneca) or a single dose (Johnson and Johnson) and have submitted proof to ATP for entry into the ATP Testing Exemption List would be eligible.”
The Monte Carlo Masters is set to be the first tournament to take place with the new rules but there is yet to be any official comment. The Daily Mail, who was one of the first outlets to break the news, said the ATP doesn’t want to further comment on the protocol document at this time.
It has also been reported that those vaccinated will no longer be considered a ‘close contact’ of somebody who has tested positive for the virus. An issue that occurred during the US Open when Benoit Paire contracted the virus and subsequently a group of other players were also placed into isolation.
Under the new rules, vaccinated payers can now send their certificates to the ATP medical services which will then be uploaded to their profile. According to The Telegraph, there is already a list of players who have contacted COVID-19 and recovered from it over the past three months.
As for the women’s WTA Tour no official word has been published concerning what moves they may be taking in the near future. Although it is expected any change will be similar to that of the ATP.
