When the Australian Open starts in spring 2022, all participants must be vaccinated. This rule now demands its first “victim”.
As the Australian newspaper “Herald Sun” reports, Pierre-Hugues Herbert, one of the best doubles players in the world, will not take part in the tournament. The reason for this is that the Frenchman has not yet been vaccinated against Corona.
Unvaccinated Pierre-Hugues Herbert leaves Australian Open sauce
The 30-year-old told the French “L’Alsace”: “Personally, I am not vaccinated. The trip to Australia is not an option for me. “He does not want to reconsider his attitude towards vaccination:” For me it is a personal decision not to be vaccinated. “
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Herbert also knows that this attitude could become a problem in the long run: “I don’t know how long it will last. And I don’t know if it is even possible to be a professional tennis player without a vaccination. It’s not just about Australia anymore. Also about the USA or Austria … it’s a very complex topic. “
“Not a good idea”: Also sporting reasons for Herbert’s decision
In addition to his vaccination status, there were also sporting reasons for the cancellation of the world ranking eighth in doubles, which has already won five Grand Slam titles in doubles. Because he fell from 36th to 110th place in the individual ranking, qualification might have been waved in Melbourne. Herbert: “I do what I can. But because of my singles ranking, it would have been a bad idea to go to Australia. “
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Tournament director Craig Tiley had recently reported that the vaccination rate among tennis players had climbed to around 95 percent, which corresponds to an increase of around 50 percent.
