Pierre Hugues-Herbert will miss the Australian Open after revealing he has not been vaccinated
Pierre Hugues-Herbert will not compete at the Australian Open as he is not vaccinated against Covid-19, feeling his decision “is a personal choice.”
Recently, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley announced that players will be required to be double-vaccinated if they wish to compete at the ‘Happy Slam.’
Another player whose participation is still unknown is 20-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. The World number one has refused to publicly declare his vaccination status and as such has shrouded his involvement in doubt.
Novak’s father Srdjan labelled the requirement to be vaccinated as “blackmail,” to which Victorian sports minister Martin Pakula replied “it’s about your personal responsibility to the community.”
Djokovic was named in both Serbia’s ATP Cup squad as well as the Australian Open entry list, however Tiley cast further doubt on the situation when he said “everyone goes on the entry list, it’s not a commitment list.”
French duo Pierre Hugues-Herbert and Nicolas Mahut won the Australian Open doubles in 2019, but Mahut will now have to find another partner after Hugues-Herbert’s withdrawal.
Hugues-Herbert told French news publication L’Alsace “personally, I am not vaccinated and the trip to Australia was not an option for me.
“It is certain that from the moment when I could not go there without being vaccinated, it necessarily complicated things.
“And there is not only Australia. Today, there is the United States, Austria… It is a rather complex topic.
“On the other hand, it is a personal choice not to get the vaccine.”
However, Mahut told L’Equipe that he knew about this decision since October and feels it could “seriously complicate his season.”
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