Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is about looking out for the health of the “wider public,” Andy Murray said in an interview before the start of the US Open in New York today, adding that he hoped tennis players who were reluctant to get vaccinated would come around to seeing its many upsides.
Tournament organizers on Friday said that fans must show proof of vaccination to enter the grounds. The athletes themselves are not required to be vaccinated.
“The reason why all of us are getting vaccinated is to look out for the wider public,” Murray told reporters on Saturday.
Photo: AFP
“We have a responsibility, as players who are traveling across the world, to look out for everyone else as well,” he said. “I’m happy that I’m vaccinated. I’m hoping that more players choose to have it in the coming months.”
The COVID-19 vaccine has divided opinion within tennis.
This week, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic reiterated his position that he hoped the vaccine would not become mandatory for players to compete.
He has declined to answer questions about his own vaccination status.
World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is to face the unseeded Murray in the first round today, has said that he is wary of getting vaccinated and would only do so if it becomes mandatory to compete on the ATP Tour.
However, 20-time Grand Slam winners Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal feel that athletes need to play their part and get vaccinated.
Murray said that players might be persuaded when they see the freedom that vaccinated players have compared with unvaccinated competitors at tournaments such as January’s Australian Open.
“I know the conversations with regards to the Australian Open and stuff are already happening,” Murray said. “The players that have been vaccinated are going to potentially be able to ... have very different conditions to players who are not vaccinated.”
Murray believes that “a lot” of the tour is not vaccinated, he said, adding that if tournaments begin to require it to compete, it would spark controversy.
“There’s going to have to be a lot of pretty long, hard conversations with the tour and all of the players involved to try and come to a solution,” he said.
NBA REFEREES NEED VACCINE
AFP, NEW YORK
The NBA on Saturday said that it would require COVID-19 vaccinations for all referees working games in the 2021-2022 season.
The National Basketball Referees Association agreed with the requirement, the league said in a statement, adding that some exemptions for religious or medical reasons would be allowed.
“The referees have also agreed to take any recommended boosters,” the league said. “Any referee who does not get vaccinated and is not exempt will be ineligible to work games.”
The announcement came a day after several US media outlets reported that the NBA had informed teams that all personnel who work in physical proximity to players or referees during games must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The directive includes coaches, front-office members and trainers, but stops short of requiring all players to be vaccinated, ESPN said, citing a memo sent by the NBA to teams on Friday.
League-wide vaccination of players is subject to negotiations with the National Basketball Players Association.
The league set an Oct. 1 deadline for team personnel to be fully vaccinated, ESPN reported.
Broadcasters, photographers and security personnel who operate near the court are included in the directive, along with locker-room attendants, medical staff, equipment managers, and food and beverage handlers and providers.
The regular season tips off on Oct. 19, when reigning champions the Milwaukee Bucks are to host the Brooklyn Nets and the Golden State Warriors to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster opening-night doubleheader.
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