Novak Djokovic says he will wait for and official statement from Tennis Australia before deciding if he’ll attend next year’s Australian Open.
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There is doubt over the nine-time champion’s participation in the year’s first Grand Slam because the Serb has refused to state whether or not he will be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
There have been conflicting messages over who will be allowed to play in the Australian Open which runs from January 17-30 in Melbourne.
Last month, a leaked email from the WTA suggested unvaccinated players would be allowed to compete provided they quarantined for 14 days and submitted to regular coronavirus testing.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said unvaccinated players would be permitted to enter the country if they received an exemption, which the host state Victoria would need to apply for on behalf of players.
However, Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews then quickly ruled out that possibility.
“We are locking people who are unvaccinated out of pubs, cafes, restaurants and the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and all sorts of other events,” Andrews said, as quoted by AFP.
“We’re not going to be applying for an exemption. Therefore, the issue is basically resolved.”
Djokovic was probed on the matter at a press conference on the eve of this week’s Paris Masters.
“I am going to decide on whether I go to Australia after I see an official statement from Tennis Australia,” Djokovic told reporters.
“There has been no official announcement or statement and until that is out I won’t be talking about this anymore. I do not want to be part of the stories about the assumptions and what ifs.
“When the official conditions and requirements to travel and play in Australia are out I will see what I personally do and also the bigger group of players as obviously the situation is different in Australia to most parts of the world.”
Picture: Novak Djokovic practices at the Paris Masters – @DjokerNole/Twitter