Novak Djokovic risks missing French Open as government rules athletes must be vaccinated
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 17/01/2022 at 11:02 GMT
“Any athlete, including professional, who comes for a competition in France, as soon as for the Six Nations tournament, will have to be vaccinated to enter a sports arena, AFP learned on Monday from government sources,” read a report from Agence France-Presse. The result means that Novak Djokovic’s participation at the second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open, is under threat.
Novak Djokovic
Image credit: Getty Images
Novak Djokovic could miss out on Roland Garros after the French government said athletes must be vaccinated to compete in France, that is according to Agence France-Presse.
The world No. 1 confirmed that he has not been vaccinated during an interview with the Australian border force as he was detained upon entering the country. Djokovic was eventually deported from Australia on Sunday after a judge rejected a challenge by the Serbian after the government cancelled his visa for a second time.
And after missing out on the chance to win a tenth Australian Open and a record 21st Grand Slam, Djokovic could now miss this year's French Open should he remain unvaccinated.
According to AFP, "all athletes who wish to compete in France will have to be vaccinated against Covid-19", as reported by Eurosport France. Previously the vaccine pass had applied to just athletes based in France but this had now been extended to athletes arriving from abroad too.
It remains unclear whether exemptions apply, but after the debacle in Australia the rules around entry for athletes are likely to become clearer to prevent a repeat of the situation.
Djokovic's initial visa to enter Australia was cancelled, reinstated by a judge before being cancelled again by the nation's immigration minister, Alex Hawke.
Tennis stars have called for rules to be made clearer to avoid a repeat of that episode.
Djokovic has previously spoken out against mandatory vaccination but - as nations tighten their entry rules amid ongoing and future waves of the virus - he may require vaccination in order to compete at tournaments around the world.
The 20-time grand slam winner's former coach Boris Becker has said the easiest thing would be to 'get vaccinated'.
"I'm sure the French Open has watched this saga," he said. "I'm sure Wimbledon has watched it. Let's see, but the government restrictions will be there in May and June, I'm sure.
"Let's see what Novak does. The way out, the easiest thing for him, would be to get vaccinated. It's tough to get your head around it, how much paperwork you have to do to play a tennis tournament.
"It is tough enough to win a tennis tournament. Now his struggle is to get the right documents in order to participate in one. It's crazy the world we live in, but that is the way it is. I think we have all had two years to accept it, and there is no other choice."
- - -
Stream the 2022 Australian Open live and on demand on discovery+. A subscription for discovery+ is now £29.99 for the first year for UK users, down from £59.99
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement