'Unjabbed' Grand Slam champion to miss Australian Open amid Djokovic's status uncertainty

There has been a lot of talk surrounding players vaccination ahead of next years Australia Open with vaccines being made compulsory for players to compete in the first Grand Slam Tournament of the year. However, ahead of the Australian Open, former Grand Slam winner, Pierre-Hugues Herbert has decided to skip the Australian Open after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. However, as per the report in7news.com.au, the former doubles champion admitted he may soon change his mind to remain on the tennis tour.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert withdraws from Australian Open 

As per the report, the 30-year-old Pierre-Hugues Herbert said that falling out of the top 100 in the ATP singles rankings also contributed to his decision not to play in the Australian Open. Herbert, who has twice reached the third round of the Australian Open singles competition, crashed out in the first round of all four grand slams in 2021. He will now start his 2022 season in ATP Challenger tournaments in Italy in a bid to lift his ranking.

Herbert's announcement makes him the first player so far to publicly announce they will not appear at the Australian Open due to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in force for the tournament. The announcement also raises doubt over Novak Djokovic participation due to vaccination rules. Novak Djokovic vaccine status is still unknown and it would be interesting to see what decision will the Serbian take.

Novak Djokovic To Apply For Medical Exemption

While Novak Djokovic vaccine status is still unknown ahead of the Australian Open tennis tournament several Australian organizations such as the Herald Sun and 7 News Melbourne had reported that Novak Djokovic could potentially apply for a medical exemption to compete at the Australian Open.

Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley also made it clear that Djokovic will not be able to compete at the event if he was not vaccinated. While speaking to ABC he said, "To be clear upfront, no one can play the Australian Open unless they are vaccinated." However, he did state that there was a chance the Serbian could participate if he received a medical exemption.