Novak Djokovic To Defend His Title At Australian Open After Vaccine Exemption

Tennis Icon; Novak Djokovic announced on Tuesday that he would play and defend his Australian Open title and compete at the season’s opening Grand Slam event after receiving a medical exemption from getting vaccinated against Covid.

The world’s top male tennis payer, who declined to reveal his vaccination status, previously said he was unsure whether he would play at the tournament in Melbourne due to concerns over Australia’s quarantine rules.

“I’ve spent fantastic quality time with my loved ones over the break and today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission,” said Djokovic via social media.

Organizers of the event Tennis Australia (TA) stipulated that all participants must be vaccinated against the virus or have a medical exemption granted by an independent panel of experts.

According to Reuters, the panel consists of doctors from the fields of immunology, infectious disease, and general practice.

Any decision would be made in conjunction with the Victoria Department of Health.

Last week, Djokovic pulled out of the ATP Cup in Sydney, raising further doubts over his participation in the Grand Slam.

The 34-year-old Serbian tennis star applied for a medical exemption which was granted after a “rigorous review process” involving two independent panels, TA said.

“One of those was the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel appointed by the Victorian Department of Health.”

“They assessed all applications to see if they met the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation guidelines,” TA added in a statement.

Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said in the TA statement that “fair and independent protocols” were established.

Djokovic has nine Australian Open titles under his belt, including the last three.

2022 Australian Open will begin on
Monday, 17 January and ends on
Sunday, 30 January.