Victoria government demands athletes get vaccinated by late November or miss the Australian Open

With the covid pandemic still raging in Australia, the Victoria government has issued an ultimatum; all professional athletes in the state must be fully vaccinated by the end of November.

This drastic decision may force some of the world's leading tennis players to choose between getting the shot or missing next year's Australian Open, which runs from January 17-30, 2022.

Nine-time champion Novak Djokovic is believed to be among the many tennis players who are holding on getting the vaccine, with figures gathered around the US Open suggesting that only around 60% of players are fully vaccinated. Furthermore, there is strong belief that at least four of the Top 10 male players are yet to be vaccinated.

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Tennis Australia supremo Craig Tiley had previously signaled that restrictions will be considerably tougher for the non-jabbed. However, the mandatory measure revealed by Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews suggests that it could be the difference between playing or not playing altogether.

At the very least, those who have not been vaccinated look sure to be forced into 14 days total isolation upon their scheduled arrival over the Christmas period.