Novak Djokovic and other anti-vax players warned of being banned for Australian Open

Novak Djokovic is one of the few tennis stars who are yet to get inoculated against COVID-19. While it has not been an issue so far, Australia has strict COVID-19 regulations and laws that deny entry for people who have not been vaccinated, therefore Djokovic might have to reconsider his stance on the vaccine ahead of the Australian Open. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had earlier singled out the Serbian star and told him that his Grand Slams will not protect him if he refuses to get vaccinated for entry into the country for the Australian Open. Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick has also warned Djokovic about his anti-vaccination stance.

"Grand slam titles won’t protect you," Andrews, the Victorian Premier said in a statement. "The only title that will protect you is you being able to have had your first dose and second dose. Logic and numerous conversations with the Prime Minister tell me that if you are an Australian citizen, you will be allowed home if you haven’t had the jab. But if you’re coming on a tourist visa or a business visa, so you’re not an Aussie. You are coming to visit – the notion of you getting in here without being vaccinated, I think, is very, very low."

Andy Roddick warns Djokovic and other anti-vax players

Andy Roddick has warned Novak Djokovic and his fellow peers that are against the COVID-19 jab, saying that they need to reconsider their stance as the Australian Open is not that far away and it takes over a month to be considered fully vaccinated. So they will need to start getting vaccinated now in order to play in Melbourne in January.

"If we’re starting to look at the timelines. It’s October 15th," Roddick said on Tennis Channel. "You figure, at least three weeks between shots of your Pfizer, four weeks between shots of your Moderna, and then two weeks after that you’re considered fully vaccinated. So players are going to have to start making that decision now."

He also added that it is very unlikely that the Australian government, which has been so stringent in making sure that their citizens follow all the COVID guidelines, would allow the tennis players in as it is not responsible behaviour on their part.

"To think Australia after a year and a half of being so disciplined and so airtight with what they’re telling their citizens to do in terms of coronavirus, there’s zero chance they can say ‘oh yeah but tennis players can come and do whatever they want’. That’s not responsible, that’s not what they should do. And listen, we’re going to have kind of an open window of how far these players want to take their belief systems."

(Image: AP)