No-vax all clear for slam defence
NOVAK Djokovic will be allowed to defend his Wimbledon title after the All England Club announced there would be no restrictions on unvaccinated players for this year’s edition of the tournament.
The third grand slam of the year – which starts on June 27 – will not enforce a bubble environment, with players free to stay in private accommodation as UK regulations continue to relax.
Wimbledon organisers also doubled down on their decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing to avoid “being used to benefit the propaganda machine of the Russian regime”.
It means stars such as US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka cannot play at the event.
“Whilst of course it (vaccination) is encouraged, it will not be a condition of entry to compete at the championships this year,” chief executive Sally Bolton said. “We are planning to return to a normal Championships this year and so we don’t intend to implement any of the Covid-19 measures that we saw last year in any substantial fashion.”
The news will be a welcome relief to Djokovic, who was deported from Australia on the eve of the Open in January owing to his anti-vax sentiments and vaccination status.
At the time the Serb said he was prepared to sit out any other slams and tournaments as he stood by his beliefs that people should be free to make their own choices.
The world No.1, who claims to have contracted Covid twice since the start of the pandemic, is currently tied with Roger Federer on 20 grand slams, one behind Rafael Nadal, who won the Australian Open in January.
Djokovic has had limited time on court this year as border restrictions continue in many countries.
While relaxed on the vaccination front, Wimbledon is adamant rules for Russian and Belarusian players will not change, despite widespread criticism from the players, the ATP, WTA and ITF.
Rublev labelled it “complete discrimination” while Djokovic said it was “crazy”.
The ban could see significant sanctions handed down to Wimbledon, with both the men’s and women’s tour able to refuse ranking points at the event. That could reduce Wimbledon to the status of a highprofile exhibition event.