Eugene Lapierre did not fall out of his chair when he learned that Novak Djokovic could not participate in the Australian Open.
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“It’s not a big surprise given the situation of the pandemic in Australia, mentioned the big boss of the National Bank Open during an interview with Le Journal. Novak’s lawyer’s argument was not bad and he brought up some very good points that his client was not a threat.
“We can understand that it was above all a political situation. The Australian government was caught with a hot potato, and it was difficult for them to reconsider their decision. It would have created problems for them without knowing which ones.
“It was a monster mess. »
Djokovic would not be at the end of his troubles. Far from there.
“ATP and WTA tournament directors have ruled that each country’s government rules take precedence,” Lapierre said. It will therefore be up to each country to define its own rules.
“For Canada, we want it to be as clear as possible. The good news is that our tournament is later in the year. »
Roland-Garros is getting ready
The next major tournament on the calendar is Roland-Garros at the end of May. The organizers of the clay court tournament do not want to find themselves in the same situation as their Australian counterparts.
The president of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) indicated that Roland-
Garros was already working on welcoming “unvaccinated foreign athletes” like Djokovic.
“Our teams are working in collaboration with the public authorities, who will specify the rules relating to the reception of unvaccinated foreign athletes for our tournament in due time”, declared Gilles Moretton.
97% of ATP’s top 100 players are vaccinated. However, Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu mentioned the introduction of a health bubble to allow unvaccinated players to take part in the tournament, which will take place from May 22 to June 5.
Djokovic would therefore have the chance to win a 21st Grand Slam tournament, an ATP record.
“Novak is a huge champion and we can imagine his disappointment at not being able to defend his title at the Australian Open. Our thoughts are also with the tournament organizers,” said Moretton.
Not before spring
Lapierre wants to wait for the return of spring before starting his negotiations with the health authorities of Montreal, Quebec and Canada.
“We still have a little time ahead of us, underlined the boss of the tournament. We will have to see how the pandemic situation with the Omicron variant evolves.
“Perhaps the threat will become less for Public Health. On the other hand, we are not decision makers. It will be up to the government to decide who has the right to return to the country. »
In 2022, it is the men who will be in Montreal. It would be interesting to see how the governments of François Legault and Justin Trudeau would negotiate the file of unvaccinated players like Novak Djokovic.
A file that would be interesting to follow.