BarcelonaThe siege of athletes who do not want to be vaccinated leaves less and less space. The same morning that Novak Djokovic landed in Belgrade, surrounded by a mob that greeted him like a hero, the Serbian player discovered that the French government would not allow him to enter its territory unless it proves a complete vaccination schedule. That is to say, after being left with a slap in the face for not being able to play the first Grand Slam of the season, the Australian Open, sees the doors of the second, Roland Garros, closed. Right now, waiting for each government’s measures to evolve, the world number one could only play one of the four major tournaments, Wimbledon in the United Kingdom.
The French government, which said ten days ago that the Serb could take part in the Roland Garros tournament even if it had not been vaccinated, has now rectified and warns that all athletes who want to compete in their territory must have the full guidelines. which will also be required of the public and the professionals involved. The rectification came from the hand of the Minister of Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, hours after the Parliament finally adopted the bill that will impose a vaccination certificate for many activities of social life, including attending sports shows . In a message on his Twitter account, Maracineanu stated that this health certificate has been adopted, so that “from the moment the law is enacted, it will be mandatory to enter the spaces already subject to the health passport (stadiums, theaters or halls ) for all spectators and participating athletes, French or foreign ”.
The measure puts the Serb, who has so far refused to be vaccinated, against the ropes. Failure to do so will result in you losing world number 1 status. Most tennis players have been vaccinated, and can continue to compete, as a Rafa Nadal who has made his debut in Melbourne, beating American Marcos Giron in three sets (6-1, 6-4 and 6). -2). The Mallorcan, who aspires as Djokovic to be the first player to win 21 Grand Slam titles (now both are tied with Federer, absent due to injury), has seen the loss of the Serb allow him to aspire to the title. “I’m tired of the issue, but I don’t like going against justice. These are the rules, everyone understands that it’s better to be vaccinated,” he said. By contrast, fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic said: “Djokovic has been treated unfairly. He has been made a political problem when he was allowed to play, as he had just passed the virus.” Kecmanovic has been vaccinated.
The change in France’s position could greatly affect the agenda of athletes who did not want to be vaccinated. On January 7, Maracineanu herself, in the midst of political and judicial contention in Australia over Djokovic’s presence despite her refusal to be vaccinated, had indicated that the Serb could participate in Roland Garros, scheduled for late May and early May. June. The French sports official then argued that, for athletes in international competitions, France would apply an exception to the vaccination certificate requirement, so that the new French regulations would not apply to them and they could even compete. without being immunized. He justified this by arguing that international competitions are governed by the “mandatory protocols imposed by the federations”, which he said would be above French law.
It should be noted that, unlike in Australia, it is not imperative to have a complete vaccination schedule to enter France. You can enter it with a health passport proving that you have a freshly tested negative test in your home country. That changes with the vaccination certificate bill that is due to go into effect later this week. It will be necessary to have a drink in a bar or restaurant, to go to the cinema, to a show or to a stadium. And it will obviously go beyond Roland Garros. Other major sporting events, such as the Tour de France, the matches of the Six Nations Rugby Tournament or the Football Champions League, such as the upcoming PSG-Madrid, are affected. Everyone involved must be vaccinated, then.
Madrid wants to see Djokovic in action
In Spain, at times athletes can enter by proving a negative PCR test. And the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, has already stated that having Djokovic at the Mutua Madrid Open from April 26 to May 8 would be “a great attraction. He is still number 1 in the world.” The mayor of Madrid added that “in the end it will be the central government that will determine whether it meets the entry requirements”. In this sense, the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, recalled that “anyone must comply with the health regulations of each country” and criticized Almeida’s words: “They are more of the same.”
Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia on Sunday after the country’s judiciary decided to expel him because it posed a danger to public health, as he had lied about his entry visa and how he communicated how he had positive in December. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke last Friday used his special powers to cancel the Serb’s visa for health and law enforcement reasons. Djokovic had arrived in Melbourne on January 5 with a medical exemption for not being vaccinated, as he had recently contracted covid-19. But when he arrived in the country, his immigration authorities revoked his visa and arrested him. The Serb, the player who has won the Australian tournament the most times, was able to go free to train by winning a first resort which proved that he had not been given the time to defend himself by landing in Melbourne, but the Australian government was able to prove a mistake in his visa (he did not report that he had spent the previous 15 days in Spain, where he was training) and that the days he had tested positive in Serbia he had continued to participate in public events. Australian regulations allow an unvaccinated athlete to participate in a tournament if he has passed the covid-19 in previous weeks, as Djokovic argued. The Serb, by the way, should not be able to enter Australian territory for the next three years, as required by law after being deported, but the Canberra government said it could accept his return to the Australian Open in 2023 if the “appropriate circumstances” are met.
Badosa and Nadal debut without suffering
While the Serb was greeted by hundreds of fans in Belgrade, in Melbourne the other tennis players were fighting for their crown. In the first round, all the favorites have started strong. Apart from Christmas, Matteo Berrettini, Alexander Zverev, Gael Monfils and the young Murcian Carlos Alcaraz have not failed either.
In the women’s team, the Catalan Paula Badosa, just after winning the Sydney Tournament, has beaten the Australian Alja Tomljanovic in two sets and has shown that she is ready to present a battle. For her part, the Japanese Naomi Osaka has started the defense of the title she won a year ago with a clear victory over the Colombian Camila Osorio (6-3, 6-3). The big favorite, the Australian Ashleigh Barty, who did not suffer against Lesia Tsurenko (6-0 and 6-1) also did not miss. The big surprise was the defeat of the American Coco Gauff against the Chinese Qiang Wang in two sets (6-4, 6-2).
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