Djokovic could sit out Aussie Open
NOVAK Djokovic has expressed doubts about playing in the Australian Open in January after officials said unvaccinated players are unlikely to be allowed to enter the country for the event.
The 34-year-old, a record ninetime champion in Melbourne, refused to reveal his vaccination status but implied the announcement made it less likely he would compete.
Djokovic said: “Things being as they are, I still don’t know if I will go to Melbourne.
“I will not reveal whether I have been vaccinated or not, it is a private matter and an inappropriate inquiry. 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.”
The state of Victoria, scheduled to host the first major of 2022 in January, has introduced a vaccination mandate for professional athletes.
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews said: “I don’t think an unvaccinated tennis player is going to get a visa to come into this country and if they did get a visa they’d probably have to quarantine for two weeks.”
Djokovic has said he hoped vaccination would not be made mandatory for players, insisting it should come down to freedom of choice.
He was forced to apologise after staging a charity event in Serbia in 2020 with no social distancing measures in place, after which a number of players - including Djokovic himself - tested positive for the virus.
At this year’s Australian Open, his demands for greater freedom for players undergoing mandatory quarantine prior to the tournament in Melbourne fell on deaf ears.