Australian Open 2022: Novak Djokovic saga could have been prevented, says WTA player council member Victoria Azarenka-Sports News , Firstpost

Victoria Azarenka has called for clear vaccine mandates after Novak Djokovic controversy in Australia. AP

Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, a member of the women’s tour’s player council, has called on the tennis bodies to mandate COVID vaccines following the controversy over Novak Djokovic’s deportation.

Azarenka said it would be in the interest of the players and the sport to have a strict policy on COVID vaccines considering the global nature of tennis.

“From my standpoint, it has been very clear,” she said after her second round win on Wednesday. “I believe in science. I believe in getting vaccinated. That is what I did for myself. I don’t want to push my beliefs onto everybody else however, we are playing a global sport.”

“This could have been prevented, this could have been addressed way earlier than it was. What happened after, I don’t think there was anybody who looked good in any case. That became a bit of a circus.”

“I think there should be a really hard look on this situation moving forward. I think that as soon as there is a grey area in the rules that give too much questions, situations like this happen. On certain things I think black and white approach is necessary and in my opinion, this should be the case.”

So far, the men’s and women’s tennis associations, the ATP and WTA, alongside global governing body International Tennis Federation (ITF), have not made a strong policy on COVID vaccination.

As per ATP, 97 of the top-100 players are vaccinated.

The Belarussian revealed she was infected with COVID in November and passed the virus on to her parents. She credits vaccination with preventing her father from becoming critically ill.

2012 and 2013 Australian Open champion Azarenka has become a vocal advocate for reforms in tennis, including ranking protection for players returning from childbirth.

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