A string of tennis gamers will miss the primary tennis Grand Slam of 2022 for vaccine-related causes
Novak Djokovic has been made a pariah for arriving Down Below unvaccinated. Right here, we checklist 5 different gamers who may also be lacking from Melbourne Park over the subsequent fortnight in causes associated to the jab.
Tennys Sandgren
A two-time Australian Open quarterfinalist on the competitors, the American did not even apply for a medical exemption for this 12 months’s showpiece and mentioned he would not have met any of the standards both.
Making his emotions identified, world quantity 96 Sandgren has voiced outrage over Djokovic’s visa saga on Twitter and mentioned that Australia “would not need to host a Grand Slam” because of the debacle.
“They’re now retroactively detaining gamers who they beforehand let into the nation with medical exemptions,” he remarked after the unvaccinated Renata Voracova was taken in for questioning by Australian Border Power officers earlier than being booted in another country.
“This isn’t concerning the guidelines, That is pure authoritarian politics,” added the unvaccinated star.
They’re now retroactively detaining gamers who they beforehand let into the nation with medical exemptions
This isn’t concerning the guidelines
That is pure authoritarian politics https://t.co/4TVY4TgPSQ
— Tennys Sandgren (@TennysSandgren) January 7, 2022
Pierre-Hugues Herbert
The Frenchman is out due causes partly associated to the mandate and acknowledged: “Personally, I’m not vaccinated and the journey to Australia was not an choice for me.
“It’s sure that from the second once I couldn’t go there with out being vaccinated, it essentially difficult issues.
“And there may be not solely Australia. At the moment, there may be the USA, Austria… It’s a quite complicated subject,” the 30-year-old ranked quantity eight in males’s doubles admitted.
“However, it’s a private selection to not get the vaccine,” he confused, whereas his companion Nicolas Mahut, who he gained the boys’s doubles title with on the Australian Open in 2019 has backed him.
“I respect his resolution. I didn’t make that selection, I obtained vaccinated very early on, however I completely perceive. It’s a really private selection,” mentioned Mahut.
Olivia Gadecki
The one Australian on this checklist, Gadecki made headlines for changing into the primary unranked teenager to beat a Prime 10 participant in 24 years when she toppled former 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin within the second spherical of the Phillip Island Trophy on Valentine’s Day final 12 months.
Now quantity 238 within the ladies’s singles rankings, she opted to not be vaccinated regardless of Tennis Australia reportedly spending weeks making an attempt to vary her thoughts.
Natalia Vikhlyantseva
Not like the remainder of the checklist, the Russian quantity 195 within the ladies’s singles rankings has truly obtained her jabs.
The issue is, they are not with the appropriate vaccine, in line with the Aussie authorities.
Regardless of being accepted in over 77 international locations and administered to tens of millions world wide, Russia’s Sputnik V is just not acknowledged Down Below and this left Vikhlyantseva upset at lacking out in Melbourne.
Sadly, I can’t take part on this 12 months AO occasion. I’m actually proud of a degree of tennis I confirmed on a previous few occasions and I want to play in 🇦🇺 however Sputnik is just not verified but. Good luck for all individuals and AO workforce, who all the time made wonderful occasions!🎾🦘 pic.twitter.com/l2UDmUmSF8
— Nata Vikhlyantseva (@NVikhlyantseva) December 20, 2021
“Good luck for all [the] individuals and [the] AO workforce, who all the time made wonderful occasions!” mentioned the 24-year-old when she would not be capable to face an opportunity at reaching the principle draw, even when by way of qualifying.
Renata Voracova
The final identify on our checklist truly made it into Australia earlier than being ignonimiously kicked out.
Czech quantity 81 in ladies’s doubles Voracova has suffered an ordeal arguably as dangerous as Djokovic’s.
Granted an exemption as a consequence of contracting Covid in December, and even allowed to play a match in a warm-up match, this nonetheless did not fulfill Aussie immigration.
Learn extra
Czech participant deported from Australia ‘did nothing unsuitable,’ says WTA
Below new scrutiny within the wake of the Djokovic saga, Voracova was marched her from her lodging for six hours’ value of questioning earlier than she had her visa ripped up and determined to go away the nation.
“I felt a bit bit like a legal, however there was no cause why I ought to really feel like that. I despatched all of the paperwork. They have been accepted. If I knew there can be even a 1% probability of one thing not being proper, I wouldn’t go,” she defined.
Revealing plans to demand compensation from Tennis Australia, she has been backed by the WTA, which mentioned: “Renata Voracova adopted these guidelines and procedures, was cleared for entry upon her arrival, competed in an occasion, after which all of the sudden had her visa canceled when she had accomplished nothing unsuitable.
“We are going to proceed to work with all authorities on addressing this unlucky scenario in an acceptable method.”
READ MORE: Czech veteran kicked out of Australia expresses Djokovic hopes
