Vaccine rules Russian out of Australian Open bid

SYDNEY : Russian Nata Vikhlyantseva has revealed that she will be unable to travel to Australia and attempt to play in the first Grand Slam of next season because her COVID-19 vaccine is not recognised by local health authorities.

All players need to have a double dose of an approved vaccine, or a medical exemption, to participate at the Australian Open, which takes place from Jan. 17-30. The Russian Sputnik V is not on the list of vaccines currently approved by the Australian government, leaving former world number 54 Vikhlyantseva ineligible to play at Melbourne Park."I'm really happy with a level of tennis I showed on a last few events and I wish to play in but Sputnik is not verified yet."

Currently ranked 194th in the world, Vikhlyantseva would have had to get through qualifying at Melbourne Park or be awarded a wildcard to make it into the main singles draw. Last year, Vikhlyantseva lost to compatriot Valeria Savinykh in the first round of Australian Open qualifying, which was moved to Dubai because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Holiday Holiday Latest News, Holiday Holiday Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

New US push for COVID-19 vaccines, boosters to stem 'raging' OmicronWASHINGTON: US health officials urged Americans on Sunday (Dec 19) to get booster shots, wear masks and be careful if they travel over the winter holidays, with the Omicron variant raging across the world and likely to take over as the dominant strain in the United States. The government is geari 別打復必泰(輝瑞)！
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »