Tennis-Get vaccinated if you want to play Australian Open, minister tells players

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - ATP Cup - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 4, 2021 A man wearing a protective face mask walks past an Australian Open logo in Melbourne Park. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Tennis players planning to compete in the Australian Open at Melbourne Park should get vaccinated for COVID-19 to give themselves the best chance of playing the Grand Slam, an Australian government official has said.

Victoria state, of which Melbourne is the capital, has introduced a vaccine mandate for all professional athletes but authorities have yet to clarify whether athletes from overseas or other Australian states must also vaccinate.