Australian Open: Novak Djokovic granted Covid vaccine exception

Australian Open: Novak Djokovic granted Covid vaccine exception.

TENNIS world number one Novak Djokovic has been granted a medical exemption from getting the Covid vaccine and will play at the Australian Open, according to a statement from Tennis Australia on Tuesday, January 4.
Tournament chiefs had previously stated that being vaccinated was a requirement for competing in Melbourne – something the Serbian had refused to reveal either way. TA confirmed that, as well as Djokovic, some unvaccinated players have been granted exemptions to play, although other names have yet to be made public.
The news today now means that the 34-year-old will be able to defend his title after he withdrew from the ATP Cup earlier this month.
An Australian Open statement read: “Novak Djokovic will compete at the Australian Open and is on his way to Australia.
“Djokovic applied for a medical exemption which was granted following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts.
“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.”
The statement continued: “The applications were reviewed and approved only in line with ATAGI guidelines.
“The process included the redaction of personal information to ensure privacy for all applicants.”
Tiley added: “Fair and independent protocols were established for assessing medical exemption applications that will enable us to ensure Australian Open 2022 is safe and enjoyable for everyone.
“Central to this process was that the decisions were made by independent medical experts and that every applicant was given due consideration.”
Djokovic initially confirmed the news on Instagram, saying: “Happy New Year, everybody! Wishing you all health, love, and happiness in every present moment and may you feel love and respect towards all beings on this wonderful planet.
“I’ve spent fantastic quality time with my loved ones over the break and today I’m heading Down Under with exemption permission. Let’s go 2022!!”

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.