Australian Open: did the effects of the vaccine really force three players to give up?

“Experimental forced injection (at the) Australian Open: three players withdraw for respiratory problems.” On the sidelines of the Novak Djokovic saga, unvaccinated and expelled after the cancellation of his visa, when he intended to participate in the first Grand Slam lifter of the season, the antivax movement is trying to discredit vaccination. Several opponents of the Covid-19 vaccine relay an article posted on January 10 on the marginal site Free West Media, which claims to have “aims to present broad and unbiased daily coverage of European and world news”.

This viral publication ensures that a player, Dalila Jakupovic, and two other players, Nikoloz Basilashvili and Nick Kyrgios, would have suffered from discomfort or breathing difficulties. The article, titled ‘Three players leave Australian Open with chest pains as Djokovic awaits his fate’, establishes a link between these forced abandonments and the fact that all three of them have a complete vaccination schedule. A widely shared paper, first in australia before spreading around the world in antivax circles, convinced that the vaccine is at the origin of these forced withdrawals.

However, it turns out, after verification, that this is false information. It is wrongly claimed that Nikoloz Basilashvili withdrew from the Australian Open, after being seen “tightening the chest after breathing difficulties”. If he actually gave up, it was not in Melbourne, but during another preparatory tournament, the ATP Cup, on January 5, in Sydney. A video shows the Georgian, having difficulty breathing, seek medical assistance. He waves his hand that something is bothering him in his chest. Supported, he finally throws in the towel, shortly after.

The cause of this shortness of breath would be a post-Covid symptom, according to his mother Natalia Nachkebia, contacted by the Georgian daily Ambebi. The 23rd player in the world, and not 22nd, as indicated in antivax publications, contracted the disease a few weeks before traveling to Australia. “He’s better now”, she said on January 9. Proof of this is: he participated in the Australian Open, going to the end of his matches each time. On January 18, he lost in four hours to Andy Murray (6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-4). The next day, the 19th, he played and lost in doubles alongside Miomir Kecmanovic.

Another player targeted by antivax: Nick Kyrgios. According to them, he withdrew from the Australian Open, just hours before he entered the courts. It’s wrong. Before testing positive for Covid on January 10, the Australian gave up not the OA but the ATP 250 in Melbourne on January 4. The cause ? An asthma problem. Nothing to do with the vaccine, therefore. Delivered in time, he was able to take part in the first Grand Slam tournament. He played in Melbourne on January 18, 19 and 20. The 115th player at ATP (and not 93rd, as mentioned) even made the show. To celebrate its first victory since July 2021, he took a sip of beer in the glass of a spectator. Again, it is incorrect to say that he dropped out for vaccine-related side effects.

As for Dalila Jakupovic, the truth lies in the dates. The Slovenian, 314th player (and not 180th) in the WTA rankings, gave up in the first round of qualifying for the Australian Open … in January 2020. At the time, she had collapsed on the ground, taken from fits of coughing, due to the very poor air quality, intoxicated by the fires raging in the country.

At that time, vaccines were not yet available. Knowing this, the theory linking it to his abandonment no longer holds. Finally, and this is the most telling argument, Dalila Jakupovic is not participating in the Australian Open this year.

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