Next problem for Djokovic? France apparently requires corona vaccination
Novak Djokovic could also face a problem at the French Open.
by SID
last edit: Jan 18, 2022, 08:29 am
After being expelled from Australia, tennis world number one Novak Djokovic is also threatened with problems at the second Grand Slam tournament of the year. As the AFP news agency reported on Monday, citing French government sources, all athletes who want to compete in the country in the future must be vaccinated against the corona virus.
This contradicts what Minister of Sport Roxana Maracineanu said in early January regarding a Djokovic start at the French Open in Paris (May 22 to June 5). An athlete "who is not vaccinated can take part in the competition because the protocol, the health bubble of this great sporting event, allows it," the minister told France Info on January 7.
It is not currently necessary to be vaccinated to enter France, but proof of vaccination will be mandatory for anyone entering an "establishment open to the public". Djokovic is not vaccinated, but according to his own statement, a second corona infection was detected in mid-December. He is currently considered recovered.
On Sunday evening, the President of the French Tennis Federation (FFT), Gilles Moretton, said that they were working with the public authorities, who "in due course will clarify the rules for the admission of unvaccinated foreign athletes to our tournament".
The 34-year-old Serbian Djokovic left Australia on Monday after a long legal dispute. The 20-time Grand Slam winner was unvaccinated and entered the country with a medical exemption and wanted to crown himself as the sole major record winner with a triumph at the Australian Open. Only his Spanish competitor Rafael Nadal has this chance at the first major tournament of the year, which started on Monday.