Victoria Azarenka: No point in 'stalling' mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for players

The United States Tennis Association announced roughly 72 hours before the start of the main draw of the U.S. Open on Monday that fans 12 years of age or older would have to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination to attend the tournament held in New York City. 

While speaking with reporters Wednesday, former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka explained she believes it's "bizarre" ATP and WTA players aren't facing the same vaccination mandate as spectators. 

"I don't see the point of stalling it, because we all want to be safe, we all want to continue doing our jobs, and I know there is a lot of discussions about it," Azarenka said about governing bodies forcing players to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to be eligible to participate in tournaments, per Aishwarya Kumar of ESPN. 

CNN notes that "nearly" 50% of WTA players are vaccinated against COVID-19. The ATP Tour told CNN its vaccination rate is "just above 50%" during the early days of the year's final major tournament. 

Last week, conflicting information emerged about whether or not the NFL pushed the NFL Players Association toward accepting a vaccine mandate that never came before the start of the regular season later this month. Azarenka's comments serve as another reminder such discussions throughout the sports world aren't disappearing as summer turns to fall.