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Djokovic may be barred from French Open too?
Novak Djokovic Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

Novak Djokovic may be barred from French Open too?

The saga involving Novak Djokovic and his vaccination status is far from over.

The world No.1-ranked tennis player was officially nixed from participating in the Australian Open and booted out of the country over the weekend following weeks of discombobulation regarding whether or not he had a health exemption on his visa because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19. Now, his decision to not get vaccinated could bar him from participating in future events. France passed a law over the weekend that will require everyone to show proof of vaccination in order to enter many public places, including, you guessed it, sports venues.

This means that, if the law stands, Djokovic will not be able to compete in the French Open in May unless he gets vaccinated.

"This will apply to everyone who is a spectator or a professional sportsperson. And this until further notice," the French ministry said, via ESPN.

"Now, as far as Roland Garros [the French Open] is concerned, it's in May. The situation may change between now and then and we hope that it will be more favourable. So we'll see, but clearly there's no exemption." 

Djokovic has made headlines over the last couple of weeks not for his tennis abilities, but for his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and his efforts to participate in international events without being inoculated. He was initially held up at the Australian border for not having a legitimate exemption from being vaccinated and then after appealing that decision was still kicked out of the country again for not meeting vaccination requirements.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has publicly criticized Australia for deporting Djokovic, saying the tennis star was subject to "intellectual torment" and that he is always welcome in his native country regardless of his vaccination status. 

It's likely Vucic will speak out against the French ministry if Djokovic can't participate in the French Open next spring, so no one should be surprised if Djokovic continues to make headlines for what he does off the court instead of what he can do on it.

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