ATP proposes heavy fines for players who falsify vaccine records including suspension

The Australian Open is going to be the first tennis event with a vaccine mandate and ahead of the ATP is proposing a penalization system if a player is caught falsifying vaccine records.

The ATP and the WTA have jointly adopted a pro-vaccine status since mass vaccination began around the world urging their players to get vaccinated. While a good portion of them did so, many did not. The vaccination rate in both associations was about 50 % before the Australian Open announced a vaccine mandate for the event.

After that vaccination numbers skyrocketed to about 90 % at the moment which is going to be even higher by the time the Australian Open comes around. The ATP is now proposing a penalization system for players who are found to have falsified their vaccination records in hopes of preventing anyone to do so. The hope of the ATP is that players simply get vaccinated so that normal life can continue sooner.

Some of the proposed penalties are very harsh and could include a suspension from Tour play of up to three years. The proposal reads:

"Based on the proposal, if a player is found falsifying their vaccination record, they will be "subject to a fine of $100,000 and/or suspension from play in ATP Tour or ATP Challenger Tour tournaments for a period of up to three (3) years."

It's a significant development especially if many events follow suit and adopt a vaccine mandate that has not been in place yet. The proposal will also be subjected to a vote so it might not even go through but it's clear the ATP is not playing around with this public health crisis.