After a long back and forth, Novak Djokovic was not allowed to take part in the Australian Open. The reason was his missing Corona vaccination. Now there is good news for him for the Grand Slam tournament in London.
World number one Novak Djokovic will be allowed to compete in the grass-court classic at Wimbledon in his bid to defend his title even without a vaccination against the corona virus. This is not a prerequisite for participation in the third Grand Slam tournament of the year from 27 June to 10 July, Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), said on Tuesday. Djokovic has won the title at Wimbledon six times so far, with his last success coming last year.
Start also unproblematic in Rome and Paris
Bolton stressed that they would encourage professionals to be vaccinated. However, the British government would also no longer make it compulsory for entry. “We plan to return to a normal tournament this year,” Bolton said. “So we will not be implementing any of the Covid 19 measures of last year in any substantial form. “
The 34-year-old Djokovic was unable to defend his Australian Open title at the start of the season because he was expelled from the country for not being vaccinated. He was also ineligible for the American tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami for the same reason. At his home tournament in Belgrade, Djokovic had last lost in the final. There are also no Corona rules standing in the way of a start in Rome and at the French Open.