Tennis Australia denies claims that players have applied for medical exemption to compete in Melbourne

Amid reports that Novak Djokovic is opting to use a medical exemption to play at the Australian Open, Tennis Australia has responded by saying no players have been granted any medical exemptions.

Tournament director Craig Tiley told ABC on Thursday that all players who want to play at the grand slam must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in line with a health mandate which has been implemented in the region. However, in some circumstances players could participate in the event if they are not fully jabbed as long as they have been given a special medical exemption.

According to the documentation sent to players, those who suffer from an acute medical condition or have suffered from inflammatory cardiac illness over the past six months would qualify for such a pass.

"To be clear upfront, no one can play the Australian Open unless they are vaccinated,” Tiley told the ABC. “The only condition at which, outside of being vaccinated, that you could compete is if you receive a medically approved exemption from Australian authorities …

“I’ve seen reports this morning. There’s been no medical exemptions that have been granted at this point.”

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Defending champion Novak Djokovic is yet to reveal his vaccination status, claiming he wants to keep his medical history private. Should the 20-time Grand Slam champion or any other player opt to go through the medical exemption process they are likely to face even more scrutiny after the premier of Victoria, which is the state where the Australian Open is held, called for extra checks to be implemented.

“I’m briefed that Tennis Australia are looking very, very closely at whether they might put in place a review mechanism with for instance a panel of medical experts to review any exemptions that were granted. And I fully support that.” said Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews.

“If Tennis Australia go down the review process to check that all exemptions – and I won’t comment on any individual – that any exemptions were appropriate, then I think that would be a very good step.”

At present, when a player applies for a medical exemption a panel of medical specialists looks at a blind copy of their medical records and then makes a decision. The next deadline for players to commit to the Australian Open will be December 28th which will most likely give a clearer picture of who is playing at the Melbourne major, which kicks off on January 17, 2022.