Djokovic vaccination saga continues as Australian Open draws clearer

With the 2022 Australian Open barely a month away, there is still no confirmation on whether defending champion Novak Djokovic will compete at the first Grand Slam of the season.

Although the Victoria government initially stated that only vaccinated players would be allowed to compete at the event, they have seemingly tossed the ball over to Tennis Australian to handle any medical exemptions that are available for the unvaccinated.

Sports minister Martin Pakula on Monday announced he was expecting Tennis Australia to set up an independent panel to preside over any medical exemption claims, although he was quick to add they wouldn't be easy to come by.

"Tennis Australia will have more to say about that, I would’ve thought, in the next day or so,” Pakula told reporters in Melbourne. "The Premier made a point late last week (about that) and there’s been discussions over the weekend.

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“I’m quite confident that any claim for a medical exemption by any player - and let’s be clear, a medical exemption is effectively you’ve got one of those conditions that means you can’t get vaccinated - and any claim for a medical exemption will be verified by an expert panel.

“So it’s going to have to be absolutely legit and I suspect that will be a pretty high bar to jump.”

Asked if there was any update on whether Djokovic would play the Open, Pakula said: “No firm idea - it will be up to Novak to decide whether or not he chooses to be vaccinated.”