[ad_1]
MELBOURNE: Unvaccinated athletes will be able to compete in the Australian Open next year after undergoing 14 days of quarantine, the WTA Tour has told its players, according to an email leaked to US media.
The email, obtained by freelance tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, contradicts a statement made last week by Australia’s Immigration Minister that players would need to be doubly vaccinated to get a visa to compete in the Grand Slam.
Up to a third of WTA and men’s ATP players remain unvaccinated, according to reports, and world number one male Novak Djokovic has refused to disclose his vaccination status to the media.
In the email, the WTA said it wanted to “clear up false and misleading information” about the terms that players would be subject to at the Australian Open.
The WTA said the information came from the organizers of Tennis Australia, who had asked the players to keep it confidential for “a few days” as they were still discussing the details with the government.
All players arriving from overseas for the 2021 Australian Open were forced to undergo two weeks of quarantine, although most were allowed to leave their hotels for training.
Vaccinated players entering Australia from December 1 will not be required to self-quarantine or stay in a biosecure bubble, according to the email.
The WTA email also states that qualifying, which has been moved to the United Arab Emirates for the 2021 tournament, would again take place at Melbourne Park as usual.
There was no immediate response to requests for comment from the WTA or Tennis Australia.
The Australian Open is scheduled to take place at the end of January next year.
The email, obtained by freelance tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, contradicts a statement made last week by Australia’s Immigration Minister that players would need to be doubly vaccinated to get a visa to compete in the Grand Slam.
Up to a third of WTA and men’s ATP players remain unvaccinated, according to reports, and world number one male Novak Djokovic has refused to disclose his vaccination status to the media.
In the email, the WTA said it wanted to “clear up false and misleading information” about the terms that players would be subject to at the Australian Open.
The WTA said the information came from the organizers of Tennis Australia, who had asked the players to keep it confidential for “a few days” as they were still discussing the details with the government.
All players arriving from overseas for the 2021 Australian Open were forced to undergo two weeks of quarantine, although most were allowed to leave their hotels for training.
Vaccinated players entering Australia from December 1 will not be required to self-quarantine or stay in a biosecure bubble, according to the email.
The WTA email also states that qualifying, which has been moved to the United Arab Emirates for the 2021 tournament, would again take place at Melbourne Park as usual.
There was no immediate response to requests for comment from the WTA or Tennis Australia.
The Australian Open is scheduled to take place at the end of January next year.
[ad_2]
Source link
Comments are closed.