"I can only ask Dominic Thiem to get vaccinated" says Austrian Government Minister

Dominic Thiem was denied entry to the Erste Bank Open in Vienna earlier in the week due to not being vaccinated.

The story created a lot of buzz in the tennis community which has been rather undecided on what to do with the vaccination issue. The majority of players (about 60 % currently) has been vaccinated but many have not and that includes some high-profile names. Dominic Thiem has not been vocally opposed to the vaccine but he is yet to get one.

In an interview earlier in the year, the Austrian announced that he will get vaccinated with the Novavax vaccine when it gets approved upon recommendation of his doctor. That is why Thiem is not vaccinated yet and that is why he was denied entry to the event. Austrian Minister Wolfgang Muckstein responded to the story saying:

"I can only ask Dominic Thiem to get vaccinated. The inactivated vaccines may not be available until 2022."

So far Thiem has not been vaccinated and it remains whether he will be in time for the Australian Open. He explained that he be open to taking another vaccine if the one he wants is not available until the Australian Open. As of now, he won't be allowed to enter or watch the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.