Australian Open 2023 players will not be required to take COVID-19 tests and will be able to play even if they had the virus, said the head of Tennis Australia on Monday.
“We’ve made it clear to our players, as well as our over 12,000 staff. We ask ... if anyone is feeling unwell, stay home,” Craig Tiley said. “It’s a normalized environment for us and, not dissimilar to cricket, there will potentially be players that will compete with COVID.”
Tiley added that it would be up to the players to reveal to the organizing body if they had tested positive for COVID-19.
The move clears the way for Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic, 35, who holds the record for most men's singles title win in the Australian Open, to compete this year.
He was unable to compete in Melbourne in the 2022 Australian Open, after being deported from Australia due to his COVID-19 vaccination status.
The Australian Open 2023, one of the four tennis Grand Slams, will be held on Jan. 19-29. (Anadolu Agency)
•PHOTO:Jelena Ostapenko (front) of Latvia in action against Alison Riske (rear) of USA during their women's singles match within the 2022 Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia on January 19, 2022. Ostapenko beat her opponent Riske with 2-0 and qualified for the third round. ( Recep Sakar - Anadolu Agency )
NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s leading online newspaper. Published by Africa’s international award-winning journalist, Mr. Isaac Umunna, NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s first truly professional online daily newspaper. It is published from Lagos, Nigeria’s economic and media hub, and has a provision for occasional special print editions. Thanks to our vast network of sources and dedicated team of professional journalists and contributors spread across Nigeria and overseas, NEWS EXPRESS has become synonymous with newsbreaks and exclusive stories from around the world.
