Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic receives a medical exemption to compete at the Australian Open
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Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic receives a medical exemption to compete at the Australian Open
Novak Djokovic has announced that he will be competing at the Australian Open's opening Grand Slam event after receiving a medical exemption from getting vaccinated against COVID-19 on Tuesday.
The world number 1 announced that he will be defending his Australian title after being granted a medical exemption to compete at the Australian Open. Credit: Reuters.
The tennis superstar, whose vaccination status was not made public until recently, has previously disclosed that he was unsure whether he would compete at the Jan. 17-30 tournament in Melbourne.
It was later revealed that the reason behind his possible absence at the Australian Open was the country's quarantine protocols.
Djokovic took to Instagram to announce his presence at the tournament, writing: "I've spent fantastic quality time with my loved ones over the break and today I'm heading Down Under with an exemption permit. Let's go 2022."
"I'm ready to live and breathe tennis in the next few weeks of competition. Thanks, everyone for the support."
Credit: Instagram/Novak Djokovic
Tennis Australia (TA) required all participants at the Grand Slam to either be vaccinated or be granted a medical exemption by an independent panel of experts.
The medical exemption should be approved by a panel consisting of doctors from the fields of immunology, infectious disease and general practice and should be agreed upon in conjunction with the Victoria Department of Health.
TA revealed that the tennis superstar was granted medical exemptions after a "rigorous review process" involving two separate independent panels of medical experts.
The statement released by TA read: "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 (ATAGI) guidelines."
The group also said that the personal information of the applicants for the medical exemptions was redacted to ensure their privacy.
The Victorian state government also confirmed Djokovic's exemption, claiming that any player who has been granted a pass has gone through a two-stage process to verify if a medical condition that meets the criteria for an exemption exists.
TA established "fair and independent protocols" for assessing the players' medical exemption applications, according to Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley.
He also assured that necessary actions were done to ensure the safety of the participants of the Australian Open.
Tiley said: "Central to this process was that the decisions were made by independent medical experts and that every applicant was given due consideration."
Djokovic has reportedly flown to Australia after training in Marbella, Spain over the last few days.
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