Talk About Tennis 2.0

JazzNU wrote: ↑Mon Oct 18, 2021 7:24 pm Djokovic non-committal about Australia in recent article with that same reporter where he laid out the rest of his schedule for the year. He's concerned about the quarantine period and doesn't share his vaccination status (which always means one thing and I'm not sure why they even bother avoiding a no).

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 20, 2021 4:24 pm i read a comment, I think by Cahill, that Djokovic had been to a concert in New York, which he would not have been allowed to, had he not been vaccinated.. so there is a chance he is just being coy, on principle - he is actually vaccinated..

Deuce wrote: ↑Sun Nov 21, 2021 4:39 am

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 20, 2021 4:24 pm i read a comment, I think by Cahill, that Djokovic had been to a concert in New York, which he would not have been allowed to, had he not been vaccinated.. so there is a chance he is just being coy, on principle - he is actually vaccinated..

... or that he simply got preferential treatment at the concert because he's 'famous'.
Given how 'celebrities' can get away with just about anything in the celebrity obsessed culture of North America, that would be my guess.

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Sun Nov 07, 2021 6:59 pm

ashkor87 wrote:I wonder if the atp would withdraw accreditation to the ausopen if it doesn't allow non- vaccinated players ...any atp event has to be Open? There have been precedents, I think, when countries have had tournaments taken away because they would not allow certain players to play.... Usually, political grounds, of course...COVID is certainly testing us all...!

This would amount to the ATP would not offering points and providing support staff, like trainers. Guessing the ITF doesn’t have their own. Players could still enter and earn the prize money. I don’t think this will happen, but the thought exercise is interesting.


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Deuce wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:14 am Well, firstly, it is not the ATP or ITF deciding that non-vaccinated players cannot play. At this point, these entities simply don't seem to have the balls to do that, unfortunately. So they can't be held responsible - what are they supposed to do? Move the tournament to a country which allows non-vaccinated people to enter? No.
It is the country of Australia / state of Victoria which is not permitting unvaccinated persons to enter.

Secondly, the tournament IS open to everyone who qualifies. And people who are not vaccinated simply don't qualify - just like the player ranked #953 in the world doesn't qualify. Just like someone who's not permitted entry to Australia for any reason doesn't qualify.
I see no problem with this at all.

What if a player was convicted of a crime which resulted in him not being allowed to enter Australia (or the USA, or England, or France) - would that Major then not be called an 'open' tournament just because that player couldn't play in it?
And this situation is much more easily remedied than if the player had committed a crime which rendered him ineligible to enter a country. In this case, he needs only to get vaccinated to be able to enter the country.

It seems pretty evident that it's much easier and quicker for a person ranked in the top 20 to get vaccinated in order to qualify to play in the main draw of the tournament than it is for the 953rd ranked player to get into the top 100 or so to qualify to play in the qualification round.
The player who simply needs to get vaccinated in order to qualify to play has his fate entirely in his own hands - it does not depend on anyone else, or on him being good enough to qualify. He has a black and white decision to make, and he knows the benefits and consequences of each choice. He makes his choice - either way -, and that's the end of the story.

So, in the end, it is indeed an open tournament - but there are certain criteria which must be met, as is the case with pretty much everything in life. Being vaccinated is just one of the criteria to be able to enter into this country to play in the tournament - and is probably the easiest one to accomplish, at that.

mick1303 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:04 am ...

If WTA can pull events from China for the reason that constitutional rights of one retired player were violated, I don't see why ATP can't exercise its authority. This concerns plenty of players who do not want their rights to be violated. And ATP is association of players above all (at least it should be). Slams belong to ITF as a trademark and financially (but mostly each slam is its own enterprise). But ATP has some authority here - it awards ranking points. If ATP does not recognize an event - it essentially becomes and exo. It will be forever asterisked and the winner may not be considered "real slam winner" if the field will be severely depleted. Remember Wimbledon boycott of 1973. I dare you to find an article about Kodes win, that does not mention a boycott.

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 1:34 pm ...
Oh you are quite right but this is an interesting thought-exercise...where do we draw the line? Djokovic and other anti-vaxxers may have a semi-religious principle they are standing on.. Wimbledon also insists on wearing white! I always wondered what would happen if that rule is challenged in a court! Interestingly, the Queen never wears white, for quite another reason, of course.

Deuce wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:14 am ...

Secondly, the tournament IS open to everyone who qualifies. And people who are not vaccinated simply don't qualify - just like the player ranked #953 in the world doesn't qualify. Just like someone who's not permitted entry to Australia for any reason doesn't qualify.
I see no problem with this at all.
...