World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is set to defend his title in Wimbledon 2022 after a big rule change by the All England Lawn Tennis Club where the unvaccinated players will be allowed to participate in the Grand Slam.
The CEO of All England Lawn Tennis Club, Sally Bolton, said Tuesday the tournament would not mandate vaccination against COVID-19, adding participants are not required to quarantine on arrival ahead of the tournament.
"The requirements set up do not include mandatory vaccination," Bolton said. "It will not be a condition of entry for the championships this year." Wimbledon begins on June 27, when Djokovic has a shot at becoming a seven-time champion on the grass court.
Feeling good in Belgrade @DjokerNole @SerbiaOpen2022 | #SerbiaOpen pic.twitter.com/izsgTNnjcd
— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 23, 2022
Djokovic was in Australia and even practised on the court after being sent to a quarantined hotel in a litigious tug of war with the top officials in the country. The Serbian ultimately was sent home because of his unvaccinated status. The matter played out in the court system as Australian officials flagged Djokovic for breaking quarantine prior to his arrival and submitting inaccurate documentation to receive an exemption to play in the January event.
Djokovic plans to compete in the French Open and publicly objected to Wimbledon`s ban of Russian and Belarusian players from the 2022 event. Bolton said Tuesday the decision was made under direct guidance from the British government.
Among the banned players on the men`s side are World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev and No. 8 Andrey Rublev. It`s the first time since immediately after World War II that players were banned on the basis of nationality when Germans and Japanese were barred. Djokovic, 34, is seeking his 21st major championship and is currently one behind Rafael Nadal with 20 Grand Slam titles.
