Australian young hopefuls tennisnet.com dismiss wildcard due to vaccine

19 year old Australian Olivia Cottecki Counted on the wild card for the Australian Open, but did not want to be vaccinated.

It was only a matter of time before the first permanent cancellation of this year’s Grand Slam came. After French player Pierre-Hughes Herbert had already canceled his participation in the Australian Open a few days ago, Australian hopeful Olivia Cotteki followed suit today. The 19-year-old left a permanent starting point in Melbourne for refusing to be vaccinated because he had been given a wild card by the Australian Tennis Association.

Missed the chance for world ranking points and good prize money

The rules of the Victorian state authorities are clear – only vaccinated professionals are allowed to compete under the Major. It shows that a young player is missing out on a unique opportunity to collect world ranking points and unique experiences – not to mention financial opportunities.

After all, Kedeki had just finished a respectable 2021 season. Without ranking at the beginning of the year, the “Gold Coast” woman moved up to 237th in the WTA World Rankings. In mid-February, at the WTA Tour 250 event in Melbourne, he celebrated his victory over Sofia Kenin, the then world number four at the Philippine Island Trophy. On the side he won two ITF futures and was in the final of two.