MIAMI • After players at the Miami Open expressed a reluctance to get the Covid-19 vaccine, the WTA Tour said on Tuesday it would educate athletes and encourage them to get the shot.
Following their fourth-round wins on Monday, Ukrainian Elina Svitolina and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka had aired concerns about how quickly the vaccines had been rolled out and said they would wait before deciding whether to get one.
In response, the women’s tennis governing body said it will not require players to get a vaccine but wanted to make the benefits of getting a shot clear to everyone.
“The WTA believes in and will encourage everyone to get a vaccine,” an official statement read.
“This will assist in protecting the individual that has received the vaccine, those who have not been vaccinated, and allow our world to move back to a place of normalcy that is desired by all.
“The WTA, with the full assistance of our medical advisers from the Mayo Clinic, have been and will continue to educate our players on the various vaccines along with the benefits of getting vaccinated.”
The vaccine will not be compulsory as “this is a personal decision,” it added.
The WTA’s position falls in line with many states and countries that are pushing to get people vaccinated as worries over variants and a new wave of Covid-19 grow.
Women’s world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, who earlier this week said she would be open to the vaccine when it is her turn, advanced to the semi-finals of the Miami Open after ousting seventh seed Sabalenka 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3.
The Australian will face 2018 WTA Finals Singapore champion Svitolina, who beat Anastasija Sevastova 6-3, 6-2 in the last eight.
Should Barty get past the Ukrainian today, she will retain her place at the top, although the 2019 French Open champion insisted she is not preoccupied with how she stacks up against her rivals.
“It’s an amazing thing to be No. 1 in the world at the moment, but I promise you that’s not what makes me happy,” she said. “It’s a focus of course. I want to try to do the best that I can, but it’s not a distraction or a pressure in any way.”
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
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