Tennis News : Djokovic Exemption Row - Australian Open move angers residents

Novak Djokovic will get a chance to defend his Australian Open title after receiving a medical exemption to travel to Melbourne, ending months of uncertainty about his participation because of the strict COVID-19 vaccination requirements in place for the tournament.

The top-ranked Djokovic wrote on Instagram on Tuesday he has "an exemption permission."  

Djokovic, who is seeking a record 21st Grand Slam singles title, has continually refused to reveal if he is vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The Victoria state government has mandated that all players, staff and fans attending the Australian Open must be fully vaccinated unless there is a genuine reason why an exemption should be granted.

Australian Open organizers quickly responded with a statement confirming Djokovic was on his way to Australia to compete at the tournament, which starts on Jan. 17.  

"Djokovic applied for a medical exemption which was granted following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts," the statement said. "One of those was the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel appointed by the Victorian Department of Health. They assessed all applications to see if they met the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation guidelines."

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the decision was a matter for the government of Victoria, where Melbourne is the state capital.

The decision is being widely debated in a city where most people endured months of strict lockdowns and harsh travel restrictions at the height of the pandemic.

Some Melbourne residents called the decision "unfair" and reaction on social media quickly turned to questions about the grounds for Djokovic's exemption.

Reasons for exemptions can include an acute major medical condition, serious adverse reaction to a previous dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, or evidence of a COVID-19 infection within the previous six months.

Tennis Australia said the process included the "redaction of personal information to ensure privacy for all applicants," with details of names, ages and nationalities removed. That means Djokovic was not obliged to make his exemption public.

Last year, all foreign players had to spend two weeks in hotel quarantine before the Australian Open, pushing the year's first major back from its usual mid-January start.

There were also strict caps on crowd numbers, and days when fans weren't allowed into Melbourne Park as coronavirus cases surged.

There's no cap on crowd numbers for the 2022 tournament and no strict hotel quarantine for players, although proof of double vaccination for COVID-19 is a requirement for entry and players will undergo daily testing.

Djokovic will avoid hotel quarantine upon arrival, with visitors to Australia who have medical exemptions for the vaccination treated the same as fully vaccinated people.

The 34-year-old Djokovic has won nine of his 20 major titles at the Australian Open.

He shares the men's record for most majors with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic hasn't played at tour level since the Davis Cup Finals in early December.

He'd earlier withdrawn from Serbia's team for the ATP Cup, which is being played this week in Sydney.