Australian Open May Allow Unvaccinated Athletes To Compete After Undergoing a 14-Day Quarantine

Pop-Up COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics Open At Bunnings Stores Across Queensland

(Photo : Photo by Dan Peled/Getty Images)
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 16: People queue to receive a Covid-19 vaccine at a Bunnings hardware store on October 16, 2021 in Brisbane, Australia. The Queensland state government is hosting pop-up vaccination clinics at Bunnings stores around the state this weekend to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Australian Open may allow unvaccinated athletes to participate in next year's games.

This week, a leaked email from the WTA Tour revealed that unvaccinated players may still participate in the Australian Open for as long as they adhere to a 14-day quarantine.

🐨Update on #AusOpen🐨

Per email sent to WTA players just now, Tennis Australia has told WTA PC that fully vaccinated players won’t be required to quarantine or bubble at all.

Unvaccinated players will be allowed to enter, TA tells WTA, but must do 14 days of hotel quarantine. pic.twitter.com/cu4NV8abYB
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) October 24, 2021

Unvaccinated athletes will also be required to present a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours before leaving. They will also adhere to regular testing while they are in Australia.

Australia Open, WTA has not finalized vaccine requirements

The email, which freelance tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg shared, also said that the WTA wanted to clear up the false and misleading information surrounding the athletes and the Australian Open.

However, Victoria state sports minister Martin Pakula said nothing had been finalized yet because authorities are still deciding whether unvaccinated athletes will enter Australia.

"It's not settled. We are still resolving with Tennis Australia and the Commonwealth whether unvaccinated foreign nationals will be allowed into Australia at all and if so, under what circumstances they will be allowed," he said via CNN.

Conflicting reports claimed unvaccinated athletes couldn't compete

Last week, Victoria Primer Daniel Andrew said that unvaccinated athletes wouldn't be given any special treatment to participate at the Australian Open. And previous reports also claimed that unvaccinated athletes might not be given visas to enter Australia.

Australia's minister for immigration Alex Hawke previously claimed that Australian Open participants need to be fully vaccinated. He said that the vaccination rule applies to all athletes and not just to tennis players, according to Fox News.

Novak Djokovic keeps his vaccination status private

As of late, Novak Djokovic continues to keep his vaccination status a secret. After all, the tennis superstar said that vaccines are a private matter and not something one should disclose to the press.

The number one tennis player in the world doesn't want to be part of the media's attempts to create a game of pro and against vaccines; that's why he's keeping his status private.

Djokovic's refusal to disclose his vaccination status has convinced his supporters that he has not been inoculated against the deadly virus. If this is the case, the tennis star cannot participate in the Australian Open.

Earlier this year, Djokovic said that he hopes the COVID-19 vaccine won't be mandatory for athletes like him. But just a few weeks later, the vaccine mandates in different countries, including Australia, were announced.

Ash Barty reacts to Novak Djokovic's decision

Ash Barty, the women's World No. 1, said that she understands why Djokovic doesn't want to disclose his vaccination status. But it was personally a no-brainer for her to get the jab as soon as it became available to protect herself and those around her.

The athlete revealed that she got the vaccine in April, but she never felt the need to broadcast it to the entire world. "There is no judgment for me or necessity for me to see what others have done," she said via Yahoo! News.