Novak Djokovic, the top-ranked men’s tennis player in the world, will compete in the Australian Open under an exemption to the coronavirus vaccine mandate …
Novak Djokovic, the top-ranked men’s tennis player in the world, will compete in the Australian Open under an exemption to the coronavirus vaccine mandate in place there, the champion confirmed Tuesday. Djokovic will defend the title he earned at the tournament last year. He has won the Australian Open trophy nine times, more than any other player, and has earned 20 Grand Slam singles titles, tying Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for most titles in history. Neither Federer nor Nadal will be at the tournament, and the dwindling number of big-name stars at the Australian Open this year threatened the event’s bottom line before confirmation of Djokovic’s appearance there. The importance of having Djokovic at the tournament was highlighted by the fact the event was advertising a Djokovic appearance even before it was clear he would be there. Djokovic initially declared himself “against vaccination” regarding the Chinese coronavirus in 2020 but has since changed his position to opposing vaccine mandates, asserting that receiving a medical product should be a private choice. His presence at the tournament was not guaranteed as officials at Tennis Australia, the organization that manages the Australian Open, implemented a coronavirus vaccine mandate and had repeatedly insisted they would limit offering medical exemptions to players requesting one. The controversy surrounding Djokovic’s potential entry into the country while unvaccinated – Djokovic had kept his vaccination status a secret prior to Tuesday, but many suspected that he had not received a vaccine product dose – escalated so far that Prime Minister Scott Morrison weighed in on the matter last year, insisting only those with medically approved exemptions to Australia’s vaccine requirement would be allowed into the country. Australia has been subject to international condemnation for its use of quarantine “ hotel ” camps to imprison citizens potentially infected with Chinese coronavirus, using the Australian military to corral individuals identified through “contact tracing.” “Happy New Year, everybody! Wishing you all health, love, and happiness in every present moment and may you feel love & respect towards all beings on this wonderful planet,” Djokovic wrote on social media. “I’ve spent fantastic quality time with my loved ones over the break and today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let’s go 2022!!” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Novak Djokovic (@djokernole) Tennis Australia issued a statement on Tuesday confirming that Djokovic would attend the event, according to ESPN. “Djokovic applied for a medical exemption which was granted following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts,” the Australian Open organizers said.
