Unvaccinated players will be allowed to compete at the Australian Open but must do 14 days in quarantine, according to a leaked WTA email Monday, although a government official insisted the matter was “not settled”.
The rules would also likely apply to the men’s tour, leaving the door open for world number one Novak Djokovic to defend his title at Melbourne Park in January.
The email to players from the women’s governing body was leaked to New York Times tennis writer Ben Rothenberg, who posted it on Twitter, and contradicts officials’ earlier statements implying unvaccinated players would not be granted visas.
The email said that players fully inoculated against coronavirus would not have to quarantine or remain in bio-secure bubbles, enjoying “complete freedom of movement”.