The vaccination issue in tennis goes into the next round. After initially there was talk of a complete compulsory vaccination at the Australian Open, but later a leaked e-mail closed a back door for non-vaccinated players on the part of the organizers, the ATP has now also announced a tough course: Those who are not vaccinated will be have a hard time in the coming season. Period.
In an email to all players and coaches, the ATP writes that it continues to «strongly recommend» the vaccination. A compulsory vaccination is not declared. “But if governments or local health authorities demand a full vaccination of the players, then we will support this decision.”
It will be expensive for the unvaccinated
In addition, there should be drastic measures that unvaccinated athletes have to endure: A significantly higher test frequency, a possible contribution to the costs and, in the event of a positive test in the run-up to a tournament, a waiver of the prize money compensation are listed. The player also has to pay for the subsequent insulation from his own sack. In short: The ATP is doing everything it can to increase the vaccination rate.
A separate announcement states that just 65 percent of tennis players are currently vaccinated. With Novak Djokovic (34), Daniil Medvedev (25) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (23), the three currently best tennis players in the world do not disclose their vaccination status. (nab)