Australian Open health guidelines to be revealed next week

With the 2022 Australian Open barely two months away, there is still confusion over whether unvaccinated players will be allowed to compete at the event.

There has been speculation that those who have not received the vaccine will be denied entry to the event, as a health mandate recently passed in Victoria requires all essential workers, including athletes, to have been vaccinated. However, there has been no official announcement as of yet.

Craig Tiley, head of Tennis Australia, refused to comment on the situation, stating he "would take any of those questions another time." Nonetheless, It is understood that more information about the first Grand Slam of the year will be announced next week at the ‘official launch’ of the event. However, this doesn’t mean that all details about the event will be disclosed.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews reiterated his stance on the matter by stating no exemptions will be made for any players. This is in contrast to the contents of a leaked email issued by the WTA Players Council, where there was mention of allowing unvaccinated players to participate providing they go through a strict quarantine upon arrival in the country.

“I’m not going to have people sitting in the grandstands having done the right thing, only to have millionaire players that ought be vaccinated running around the place being essentially at such higher risk of spreading this – getting it and giving it," said Andrews.