World number 1 Novak Djokovic is all set to defend his title at the Australian Open this month. Djokovic received a medical exemption from taking a COVID-19 vaccination.
COVID-19 vaccination and Austratian Open
All players and staff at the Australian Open must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an exemption by the expert independent panel. The tournament starts in Melbourne on January 17. “Novak Djokovic will compete at the Australian Open and is on his way to Australia,” confirmed Tennis Australia, the organizers. They revealed that the exemption was granted after “a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts”. The star recently pulled out from the Serbia team for the ATP cup, raising doubts over his participation.
Craig Tiley, the chief of the Australian Open, stated that some unvaccinated players were granted exceptions to participate in 2022’s first Grand Slam. The applications for medical exemptions are assessed anonymously by two different panels. Some valid reasons for exception include acute conditions such as inflammatory cardiac illness.
Novak Djokovic is ready to defend his title
So far, the nine-time Australian Open titleholder has not spoken about his vaccination status in public. However, he may have tested positive for the virus recently. It is probably allowing him to differ the vaccination dates. “I’ve spent fantastic quality time with my loved ones over the break, and today I’m heading down under with exemption permission. Let’s go 2022,” wrote Djokovic on Instagram. “I am ready to live and breathe tennis in the next few weeks of competition,” added the 34-year-old.
“Fair and independent protocols were established for assessing medical exemption applications that will enable us to ensure Australian Open 2022 is safe and enjoyable for everyone,” stated Tiley on Tuesday. “Central to this process was that the decisions were made by independent medical experts and that every applicant was given due consideration.”