Murray Urges World Tennis Players To Inject Vaccines When Many Are Counter Vaccinations

Andy Murray (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - Tennis player Andy Murray believes that receiving a COVID-19 vaccine is about safeguarding the health of "the wider community" and he hopes that players who are reluctant to get vaccinated will see the many positives of vaccination.

Murray's comments come ahead of the start of the US Open in New York next week, where organizers will require spectators to show proof of a vaccine to enter the court. Meanwhile, athletes are not required to be vaccinated.

"The reason we're all vaccinated is to pay attention to the wider community", Murray said.

"We have a responsibility, as players who travel around the world, to take care of other people as well.

"I'm happy that I've been vaccinated. I hope more players choose to get vaccinated in the coming months", he added.

The COVID-19 vaccine makes tennis players divided into two views. This week, world number one Novak Djokovic reiterated his position that he hopes vaccines do not become mandatory for players to compete.

He also declined to answer questions about his own vaccination status. World number three Stefanos Tsitsipas, who will face Murray in the first round on Monday, August 30, said he was worried about getting vaccinated and would only do so if it was a mandatory requirement to compete on the ATP Tour.

However, 20-time Grand Slam winners Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal feel athletes need to play their part and get vaccinated.

Murray said tennis players might be interested in getting vaccinated if there were differentiating access for players who were vaccinated against those, not at tournaments, such as the Australian Open.

"I know they talk about the Australian Open and other things have happened", said Murray.

"Players who are vaccinated can potentially... have very different conditions to players who are not vaccinated", he said.

He also believes "many" ATP Tour players have not been vaccinated, and said that if the tournament started requiring vaccines as a condition for competing, it would spark controversy.

"There's got to be a lot of pretty long and difficult talks with the Tour and all the players involved to try and find a solution".