The 2022 Australian Open has descended into chaos with multiple news sources reporting that there is a strong possibility that players will only be allowed to play if they have had their COVID-19 vaccinations.
Earlier this week the Victorian government, which is the state where the Australian Open is held, issued a mandate requiring 1.25 million ‘professional workers’ to have two COVID-19 shots by the end of November. The list of those affected include all professional athletes. The health order was issued on Friday by Premier Daniel Andrews who said during a press conference ‘ultimately, if you want to come and work and you’re on the authorised list, you need to have your first jab by (Oct 15).”
The latest development is a nightmare for Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley with some high profile players previously expressing their concerns about being vaccinated. The most prominent of those is reigning champion Novak Djokovic who has won the men’s title more times than any other player in history. Andrey Rublev and Aryna Sabalenka have also expressed their doubts. Stefanos Tsitsipas had also previously said he doesn’t see the need for anyone his age to be vaccinated but had since changed his stance.
According to The Age newspaper, Tiley had stopped his vocal opposition to the government health initiative due to ‘the strong likelihood Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton would only permit vaccinated players.‘ It has been suggested that a separate vaccine mandate will be required for all tennis players arriving in Melbourne. The Australian, which is one of the country’s leading newspapers, says it is ‘almost certain’ this mandate would come into force.
“Tiley said we won’t get star players and the state government effectively said ‘suck it up’,” a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations told The Age. “They capitulated.”
The Voctirian government has said publicly that rules concerning sporting events such as the Australian Open are still under review. This year’s tournament required all players attending to spend 14 days in isolation before being allowed to play. Some players have previously said they would not do that again in 2022 if they were asked to.
“Other vaccination requirements for the Australian Open and other events will be considered by [the Victorian public-health unit] as required,” a spokesman said.
On Sunday the Premier of Victoria was directly questioned by the media about the possibility that Djokovic may be forced to miss the Australian Open due to his stance on the vaccine. If he defends his title in Melbourne the Serbian would break the record for most major titles won by a male player. Andrews said Grand Slams ‘won’t protect you’ from the virus. The strongest indication yet that he is not considering potential exceptions for unvaccinated players in order for them to play.
“Whether you’re a judge of the Supreme Court, or a member of the Victorian Parliament, the virus doesn’t care what you do for a living,” The Brisbane Times quoted him as saying.
“You’re just as likely, unless you’re vaccinated, to get it and spread it.“
In recent months tennis’ governing bodies had urged all their players to get the COVID-19 vaccination and various tournaments have offered to support the initiative. The figures concerning the number of players vaccinated on the Tour have not been made public. On August 28th Jon Werthiem from Sports Illustrated estimated the number to be ‘up to fifth percent’ but this can’t be confirmed by UbiTennis.
