Federal Trade and Tourism Minister Dan Tehan says Novak Djokovic should be allowed to compete at the Australian Open if he’s unvaccinated and prepared to do two weeks of quarantine.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews appears to have closed the door on any unvaccinated player competing at Melbourne Park in January, confirming on Wednesday that no exemption would be granted for anyone that wasn’t fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
In stark contrast to Premier Andrews’ comments, Minister Tehan said on Thursday that “common sense” should be applied and any unvaccinated player should be allowed to compete, as long as they agree to 14 days of quarantine on arrival.
“We need to use common sense here,” Minister Tehan said on Sunrise.
“If we can bring players in – and especially the best players in the world – and they can do two weeks quarantine, it seems to me like a common sense proposition.
“Novak Djokovic has been an absolute stalwart of the Australian Open and one of the best players ever to play at the event.
“It would be a shame if we couldn’t find a way, especially if he was prepared to do two weeks of quarantine, for him to come and defend the outstanding record he has at the Australian Open.
“It’s incredibly important you get vaccinated, but what we need to do is use common sense. If there’s two weeks quarantine available and the players are safe, it means we can put the best tournament available on.
“It highlights Melbourne across the globe, I think we can use some common sense.”
The 2022 Australian Open will begin on January 17, with Tennis Australia poised to confirm what the rest of the summer of tennis will look like in the coming weeks.