The first player who decided not to play the Australian Open spoke: “I don’t know if today it is feasible to be a tennis player without being vaccinated”

It has been a few weeks since the authorities of the Australian Open announced that tennis players who want to participate in the tournament will have to be vaccinated against covid-19. This decision has raised doubts about how many players on the circuit are those who have not yet received their corresponding doses and who, therefore, will not be able to appear in the first Grand Slam of the year. The most prominent case is, without a doubt, that of the world’s number one, the Serbian Novak Djokovic.

This Friday, meanwhile, the first loss that the contest will have was known. It’s about the French Pierre-Hugues Herbert, currently ranked 110th in the ATP singles rankings (8th in doubles). As the tennis player himself explained in a talk with students from a school in his country, this decision is based on the fact that he has decided not to apply the vaccine against covid-19. “The moment I knew that I could not go without vaccinating, that complicated things,” said the 30-year-old player, in statements collected by the newspaper Alsace.

“For my part, it is a personal choice not to get vaccinated”, he sentenced, although he admitted that he does not know how long this position will last. “I do not know if today it is feasible to be a tennis player without being vaccinated”He added, in a kind of questioning, to the measures that the Australian authorities have implemented.

However, Herbert also explained that his decision not to travel to Australia to participate in the first big tournament is also based on the fall he has registered in the world ranking in recent times, which is why he prefers “to start with tournaments a little weakest in Europe ”. The kickoff for his season in 2022 is believed to be in Italy.

That of the French will be a significant loss, especially in the doubles table. In a duo with his compatriot Nicolas Mahut, this year he has won Roland Garros and the Masters that brought together the eight best couples of the season.

The director of Australian Open, Craig Tiley, confirmed at the end of November that he will only accept tennis players vaccinated against covid-19 in the tournament next January, which raises doubts about the presence of Novak Djokovic. In an interview with the Canal 9 Australian, said that weeks ago the authorities of the state of Victoria, where the tournament is held, announced the mandatory nature of the vaccine and this was communicated to the players. The director of the tournament that takes place in Melbourne between January 17 and 30, 2022 thus put an end to rumors about the possibility that some professionals could participate without having received their respective doses.

Djokovic, a nine-time Melbourne champion, has declined to say whether or not he has been vaccinated or intends to do so. For now, he indicated that he will wait before deciding whether to play the first Grand Slam of the year. “We will see. We will have to wait and see, “he said a few weeks ago during his participation in the Masters.

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