Australian Open May Make Vaccination Mandatory for Tennis Players, Reports Say

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Vaccination against COVID-19 could become mandatory for tennis players to participate at the Australia Open in February, the newspaper The Age reported.

The head of Tennis Australia Craig Tiley, Australian Football League CEO Gillon McLachlan, Melbourne Cricket Club CEO Stuart Fox, and Secretary of the Department of Jobs Simon Phemister agreed that vaccination against COVID-19 should be mandatory for staff who work with the public and audiences, the newspaper reported. However, Tiley was initially concerned that the vaccination requirement could pose a problem for players.

If the rule is introduced, a question arises as to whether star player Novak Djokovic will participate. The Serbian player has said that vaccination should not be mandatory.

A man walks under a public health message about social distancing displayed at a shopping plaza in the city centre during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Sydney, Australia

© REUTERS / LOREN ELLIOTT

Earlier this week, the Australian state of Victoria issued a list of authorised workers who must get at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine within two weeks. The mandate included professional athletes. Even if the status of international athletes may be unclear under the new rules, a separate mandate may be issued to cover tennis players who wish to participate in the Australian Open, the newspaper reported.