Teenage Aussie tennis star refuses to inject Covid, does not play in Australian Open

Australia’s highest-ranked teen tennis player will not be taking part in next month’s Australian Open because he doesn’t want to be vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus.

Olivia Gadecki, a 237th-ranked Aussie woman in the world who shocked Sofia Kenini, the 2020 Open champion in Melbourne in February, is one of the country’s most brilliant young prospects.

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The 19-year-old was in the rankings at the beginning of the year, but has risen to 237th in the women’s rankings and would have been a strong joker card candidate in the main series.

Gadecki, who works with David Stayur’s former coach David Taylor, was welcomed to Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup in November as a token of how highly he is valued.

But he hasn’t taken part in a grand slam tournament, as strict rules require all competing players to be fully vaccinated.

News Corp Australia contacted Tennis Australia on Wednesday about Gadeck’s situation, but a spokesman was unable to comment on privacy reasons.

Sources familiar with Gadeck’s decision wondered if the teenager understood the far-reaching consequences of his decision. His attitude is believed to be family-influenced.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert from France is also not traveling to Australia, as he too is unvaccinated and probably has a handful of others in the same position.

Australian Open boss Craig Tiley revealed last week that the vaccination rate for those planning to play in Melbourne Park had risen from around 50 per cent to over 95 per cent.

Tiley has repeatedly stated recently that players must have a double dose of an approved vaccine or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson option.

They can apply for medical exemption, like everyone else, but exceptions are rare – and Victorian Prime Minister Dan Andrews wants Tennis Australia to review all of these cases among global tennis stars.

Australian tennis player Sam Stosur told News Corp on Monday that he felt sympathy for those who were unwilling to get vaccinated, but said the authorizations were the best way forward.

Both Herbert and Stosur believe it will be even harder for those who choose not to be vaccinated to be a professional tennis player.

“I definitely see where other people are coming from, but if we want to continue with it and live (any kind of normal life), it’s unfortunately just the situation we are in,” Stosur said.

“If the mandate comes from all over the country, why should a sporting event be different?

“We need to do what we need to do so that we can move on from now on, and if we can do it well and safely, so that we can still enjoy the social aspects of sporting events (it’s worth it).”

Carlton’s Liam Jones retired from the AFL in November because he didn’t want to be vaccinated, while AFLW players Georgia Patrikios and Deni Varnhagen will stay next season for the same reason.