One day after Novak Djokovic refused to divulge his vaccination status, an official with the state of Victoria warned players to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk missing the 2022 Australian Open.
Djokovic said in an interview Monday that he might miss the season’s first grand slam in Melbourne with “things being as they are.”
However, the World No. 1 was adamant against answering whether that meant he is unvaxxed.
“I will not reveal my status whether I have been vaccinated or not, it is a private matter and an inappropriate inquiry,” Djokovic told a Serbian outlet Monday, per Reuters. “People go too far these days in taking the liberty to ask questions and judge a person. Whatever you say ‘Yes, no, maybe, I am thinking about it,’ they will take advantage.”
Djokovic is the defending Aussie Open champ after claiming his ninth title in Melbourne in 2021. But that was then.
Daniel Andrews, premier of the state of Victoria, issued a warning Tuesday.
“I don’t think an unvaccinated tennis player is going to get a visa to come into this country,” Andrews said during a news conference Tuesday. “If they did get a visa, they’d probably have to quarantine for a couple of weeks when no other player has to. … I don’t think any other tennis player, or golfer, or Formula One driver, will even get a visa to get here.”
The Aussie Open begins Jan. 17, 2022.
The tournament was pushed back three weeks in 2021 and players were forced to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks upon their arrival.
Djokovic was criticized for requesting that players be given better accommodations during quarantine and that the protocols themselves be lowered.
–Field Level Media
