After Novak Djokovic was expelled from Australia and deprived of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season, the question of unvaccinated players will quickly arise in other tournaments, and in particular in Paris.
Australian Open> Pietrangeli: "If Djokovic plays, the other players should strike and leave him alone on the court against his anti-vax colleagues"”>Roland-Garros (May 22-June 5) is working on welcoming “non-vaccinated foreign athletes”, insisted Sunday the president of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) Gilles Moretton, after the expulsion of Novak Djokovic from Australia where he was not allowed to play the first Major of the season. “Our teams are working in collaboration with the public authorities, who will specify the rules relating to the reception of non-vaccinated foreign athletes for our tournament in due course,” said Moretton.
French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu spoke on January 7 of the establishment of “a health bubble” allowing unvaccinated players (3% of the Top 100 men, according to the ATP) to play the Grand Slam tournament on clay. Djokovic, title holder in Melbourne and Paris, was expelled from Australia on Sunday afternoon, after the Australian Federal Court rejected his appeal against the cancellation of his visa on the grounds that the world No.1, unvaccinated , represented a “health risk”.
The Australian Open and the Australian Federation (TA) which organizes it thus lose one of their main attractions since the Serb, who holds the record for victories in Melbourne (9) was to try to win a 21st Major there. record. It is therefore in the spring in Paris that he should try to do so. “Novak is a huge champion and we can imagine his disappointment at not being able to defend his title at the Australian Open. Our thoughts are also with the tournament organizers,” said Moretton.
