Tennis players planning to compete in the Australian Open at Melbourne Park should get vaccinated for COVID-19 to give themselves the best chance of playing the Grand Slam, an Australian government official has said.
Victoria state, of which Melbourne is the capital, has introduced a vaccine mandate for all professional athletes but authorities have yet to clarify whether athletes from overseas or other Australian states must also vaccinate."If I was an ATP or WTA player, I'd be getting vaccinated," Pakula told local radio station SEN.
Both the women's WTA and men's ATP tours have urged players to get vaccinated but some have expressed reservations, including Australian Open men's champion Novak Djokovic, who is opposed to vaccine mandates. But fully vaccinated players are expected to enjoy more freedoms to move around and may be able to avoid the country's mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival.
"That's going to be the subject, I suspect, of discussion at national cabinet and amongst the federal cabinet," he said.
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