Novak Djokovic Given COVID-19 Vaccine Medical Exemption to Compete in Australian Open

Lindsay Kimble
·2 min read
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Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
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Corinne Dubreuil/Abaca/Sipa via AP Images Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic has been granted a COVID-19 vaccine medical exemption to compete in the Australian Open this month, he announced on Tuesday.

In a post on social media, Djokovic — who has previously declined to reveal his vaccination status — wrote, "Happy New Year, everybody! Wishing you all health, love, and happiness in every present moment and may you feel love & respect towards all beings on this wonderful planet. ❤️🙏🏼."

"I've spent fantastic quality time with my loved ones over the break and today I'm heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let's go 2022 !!" the 34-year-old concluded.

In a statement from Tennis Australia, who run the Grand Slam tournament, organizers said that Djokovic was granted the medical exemption "following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts," ESPN reported.

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"One of those was the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel appointed by the Victorian Department of Health," said the statement. "They assessed all applications to see if they met the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation guidelines.''

Tennis Australia did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

According to the Australian Government Department of Health's Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation's published guidelines on medical exemptions from Nov. 2021, valid reasons included having an inflammatory cardiac illness within the past 3 months; an acute medical condition; or a confirmed COVID-19 infection "where vaccination can be deferred until 6 months after the infection," among other things.

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Djokovic previously tested positive for COVID-19 in June 2020, along with his wife Jelena. His diagnosis came days after a tennis event that he organized in Zadar, Croatia, came under fire for potentially exposing athletes to the virus during the pandemic.

The Serbian tennis player won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open back in 2008. He's won eight more times since then, including in 2020 and 2021. He holds the record for Australian Open men's singles titles.