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Pierre-Hugues Herbert has become the first player to announce he will not play at the 2022 Australian Open due to vaccination being mandatory. The doubles World No. 8 revealed he has not received the COVID-19 vaccine out of "personal choice."
All players are required to have been double vaccinated against COVID-19, unless they have a medical exemption, in order to feature at the Melbourne Major that begins on 17 January.
Former doubles World No. 2 Herbert won the Australian Open title in 2019 with partner Nicolas Mahut. The Frenchman currently sits 110th in the ATP singles rankings and thus playing singles would not have been ideal for him.
In an interview with L'Alsace, Herbert confirmed that his current vaccination status would make it impossible for him to travel to Australia.
"Personally, I am not vaccinated and the trip to Australia was not an option for me,” said Herbert. "I do what I can. But because of my singles ranking, it (playing in Australia) may have been a bad thing for a good start."
The 30-year-old then declared that being unvaccinated has been his choice, while admitting he is unsure of how long this would last given vaccine-related restrictions in other nations.
"Yes, for my part, it is a personal choice not to be vaccinated," Herbert said. "I don’t know how long it will last, I don’t know if it’s feasible today to be a tennis player without being vaccinated. There is not only Australia. Today, there are the United States, Austria. It is a rather complex topic."
Novak Djokovic on Australian Open entry list despite uncertainty over vaccination status
Novak Djokovic has entered the 2022 Australian Open, despite repeatedly declining to reveal whether he has received the COVID-19 vaccine. Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley recently confirmed the 34-year-old Serb has not been granted a medical exemption to play.
Djokovic is a three-time defending champion in Melbourne and could win a record-extending 10th title in January. The World No. 1 is tied with great rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer for a men's record of 20 Major titles.
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