Novak Djokovic given medical exemption to play at Australian Open

BRISBANE, Australia — Novak Djokovic volition get a accidental to support his Australian Open rubric aft receiving a aesculapian exemption to question to Melbourne, ending months of uncertainty astir his information due to the fact that of the strict COVID-19 vaccination requirements successful spot for the tournament.

The top-ranked Djokovic wrote connected Instagram connected Tuesday helium has “an exemption permission.”

Djokovic, who is seeking a grounds 21st Grand Slam singles title, has continually refused to uncover if helium is vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Victoria authorities authorities has mandated that each players, unit and fans attending the Australian Open indispensable beryllium afloat vaccinated unless determination is simply a genuine crushed wherefore an exemption should beryllium granted.

Australian Open organizers issued a connection aboriginal Tuesday to corroborate Djokovic volition beryllium allowed to vie astatine the tournament, which starts connected Jan. 17, and is connected his mode to Australia. He earlier withdrew from Serbia’s squad for the ATP Cup, which started past play successful Sydney.

“Djokovic applied for a aesculapian exemption which was granted pursuing a rigorous reappraisal process involving 2 abstracted autarkic panels of aesculapian experts,” the connection said. “One of those was the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel appointed by the Victorian Department of Health. They assessed each applications to spot if they met the Australian Technical Advisory Group connected Immunisation guidelines.”

Tennis Australia said the process included the redaction of idiosyncratic accusation to guarantee privateness for each applicants. That means Djokovic was not obliged to marque his exemption public.

Australian Open tourney manager Craig Tiley said “fair and autarkic protocols were established for assessing aesculapian exemption applications that volition alteration america to guarantee Australian Open 2022 is harmless and enjoyable for everyone.”

“Central to this process was that the decisions were made by autarkic aesculapian experts and that each applicant was fixed owed consideration,” Tiley said.

Victoria authorities Deputy Premier James Merlino past period said the aesculapian exemptions were “not a loophole for privileged tennis players.”

“It is simply a aesculapian exemption successful exceptional circumstances if you person an acute aesculapian condition,” Merlino said astatine a quality conference.

The determination announced Tuesday volition beryllium wide debated successful a metropolis which endured months of strict lockdowns and harsh question restrictions astatine the tallness of the pandemic.

Reaction connected societal media rapidly turned to questions astir the grounds for Djokovic’s exemption, and what quarantine conditions helium volition person to conscionable connected accomplishment successful Australia.

Last year, each overseas players had to walk 2 weeks successful edifice quarantine earlier the Australian Open, pushing the year’s archetypal large backmost from its accustomed mid-January start. There were besides strict caps connected assemblage numbers, and days erstwhile fans weren’t allowed into Melbourne Park arsenic coronavirus cases surged.

The 34-year-old Djokovic has won 9 of his 20 large titles astatine the Australian Open. He shares the men’s grounds for astir majors with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic hasn’t played astatine circuit level since the Davis Cup Finals successful aboriginal December, and has precocious been practising successful Spain. His posts connected societal media announcing his plans to question to Australia were accompanied by a photograph of Djokovic leaning connected a tennis container astatine an airport.