Melbourne: The WTA Tour has told its players that unvaccinated athletes will be able to participate in next year’s Australian Open after undergoing a 14-day quarantine, according to an e-mail leaked to US media.
The e-mail, obtained by freelance tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, contrasts with a statement made last week by Australia’s immigration minister that players would need to be double vaccinated to obtain visas to compete in the Grand Slam.
According to reports, a third of players in the WTA and men’s ATP remain unvaccinated and men’s world number one Novak Djokovic has refused to disclose his vaccination status.
In an e-mail, the WTA said it wanted to “clear up false and misleading information” about players’ conditions at the Australian Open.
The WTA said the information came from organizers Tennis Australia, who requested players to keep it confidential for “a few days” as they are still discussing details with the government.
Tennis Australia declined to comment.
Victoria State Sports Minister Martin Pakula said no decision had been made on whether non-vaccinated foreign players would be allowed into the country.
“It hasn’t been decided,” he told radio station 3AW.
“We are still resolving with Tennis Australia and the Commonwealth whether unvaccinated foreign nationals will be allowed into Australia and if so, under what circumstances they will be allowed.
“We don’t expect this to be fixed for a few more weeks.”
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said last week that there would be no special deals for unvaccinated players to compete in the state, where vaccinations are mandatory for athletes, coaches and officials in professional sport.
Pakula said TA boss Craig Tilly had told him the vaccination rate among tennis players was around 80%.
He said that fully vaccinated players will not have to quarantine upon arrival in Australia.
“One thing we have assured them all is that the vaccinated players will be treated the same way as any other vaccination in the country,” he said.
From 1 November, fully vaccinated citizens, permanent residents and their foreign-based family members who come to Sydney and Melbourne will no longer be required to quarantine.
All players arriving from overseas for the 2021 edition of the Australian Open were forced to undergo a two-week quarantine, although most were allowed to leave their hotels to practice.
The WTA e-mail states that vaccinated players entering Australia from 1 December will not need to be in quarantine or in a biosecure bubble.
The e-mail also said that qualifying, which was moved to the United Arab Emirates for the 2021 tournament, will again take place at Melbourne Park as usual.
There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the WTA.
The Australian Open is scheduled to begin on January 17.
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