‘There Is Nothing to Stop Him’: Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic to Play at French Open

 

By WARNER TODD HUSTON

Serbian tennis pro Novak Djokovic has been given the green light to play at the French Open despite being unvaccinated for the coronavirus.

Djokovic was threatened with exclusion from the tournament due to his vax status, but French authorities have relented as the virus recedes.

“At this stage, there is nothing to stop him returning to the courts,” said the French Open’s director, Amelie Mauresmo, after France lifted restrictions in most public spaces this month.

“Today, there is a little virus that is going around. We are quite confident that the lights are green, but we are all cautious about what has happened over the last two years,” French Tennis Federation Gilles Moretton added.

But Moretton noted that if the virus were to reappear, the restrictions would be back. “If things were to happen again and the government would take new measures we would not be excluded from these measures,” he said.

The decision is a big boost to the player who has been excluded from several games for his continued refusal to take the coronavirus vaccine. But now he’ll be able to defend his French Open title.

Just last week, Djokovic announced that he would miss the BNP Paribas Open because of American travel restrictions.

At the same time, he also said he would miss the Miami Open.