Novak Djokovic must be vaccinated to play Australian Open, says match director

World primary Novak Djokovic and all different gamers must be vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19 to compete within the Australia Open subsequent January, match chief Craig Tiley stated on Saturday.

Djokovic has declined to reveal whether or not he’s vaccinated and stated that he would wait till Tennis Australia revealed the well being protocols earlier than he decided about enjoying at Melbourne Park.”There’s a lot of speculation about vaccination and just to be really clear, when the (state) Premier announced that everyone on site … will need to be vaccinated … we made that clear to the playing group,” Tiley advised reporters on the match launch.”(Novak) has said that he views this as a private matter for him. We would love to see Novak here, he knows that he’ll have to be vaccinated to play here.”The announcement brings to a definitive conclusion months of negotiations between Tennis Australia and the Victoria state authorities, which had insisted all through that everyone at Melbourne Park would should be vaccinated.Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison had opened a window for unvaccinated gamers when he stated that they’d be allowed into the nation in the event that they served 14 days quarantine and Victoria state utilized for an exemption.Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews rapidly made it clear that no exemptions can be looked for unvaccinated gamers.Djokovic shares the file of 20 males’s Grand Slam singles titles with Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer and can be trying to break that tie by profitable a tenth Australian Open title if he decides to play in January.Nadal confirmed he would play at Melbourne Park in January however Federer, who just like the Spaniard can be totally vaccinated, will miss the match as he recovers from one other knee surgical procedure.Tiley stated round 80% of the participant cohort have been now vaccinated and would play in entrance of capability crowds in all stadiums when the Grand Slam match begins on Jan. 17.That is a distinction with final yr’s match, which was performed in entrance of restricted crowds and typically empty stands by gamers who had almost all undergone lodge quarantine.Tiley confirmed among the area for the ladies’s singles draw led by Serena Williams, who might tie Margaret Court’s file of 24 Grand Slam singles titles with an eighth Melbourne Park triumph.Naomi Osaka, who has not performed for the reason that U.S. Open, has additionally confirmed that she can be in Melbourne with world primary Ash Barty, U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez additionally within the area, Tiley stated.Victoria state sports activities minister Martin Pakula additionally introduced that Melbourne Park would host the Australian Open till 2044 underneath a brand new deal negotiated with Tennis Australia