One of the biggest tennis stories of the year was Novak Djokovic being kicked out of the Australian Open. The back-and-forth saga of whether Djokovic properly had an exception to Australia’s “Zero COVID” policy captured the attention of both tennis fans and politicians worldwide. Well, that won’t be a problem at Wimbledon this year, at least.
Wimbledon Announces no Coronavirus Restrictions on Players
As Novak Djokovic himself back in February, Wimbledon won’t have any restrictions as who can play in the tournament this year. As vaccines become available and restrictions ease worldwide, the limits on where the unvaccinated Djokovic can play are easing as well.
Of course, the French Open has not yet made any announcement. France as a country still has strict vaccination requirements, so it’s possible Djokovic will be unable to compete.
Wimbledon made the announcement Tuesday that unvaccinated players will be allowed to compete. The tournament needed some good news after intense backlash to its announced ban on Russian athletes.
Djokovic, meanwhile, hadn’t competed in months due to vaccine requirements in most countries. The Serbian performed poorly in his initial comeback in Monte Carlo. He impressively reached the final in Belgrade last week, improving in each match along the way. Whether he is in strong enough form to compete well at Wimbledon is a ways away, but that’s not the discussion right now. As of right now, at least he’ll have a chance. If he wants it–Djokovic has indicated he may boycott due to the ban on Russian players.
News in the sport of tennis this year has been more about off court development than on-court results. If Djokovic plays at Wimbledon, hopefully that can begin to change.
Main Photo from Getty.
