Things seem to be moving. A Tweet went by quoting the ATP said the following : "Individuals who are vaccinated do not have to quarantine after their initial PCR test and can enter the site to practice while the test is being processed" . This is no nothing. Players will still be tested, but will be able to train and move around as " free " citizens.
Make no mistake, this is REAL progress. With a rather optimistic eye, one can even start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And even if Novak Djokovic or Andrey Rublev don’t support this, it’s thanks to one thing only : the vaccine.
So a new parameter comes into the mix the famous vaccine. I’m sure that the ATP and WTA are already working on a plan. Others have step ahead, for example the NBA, that were the first to put together a " bubble " when you know what was hitting the fan. A bubble that was so solid, people were starting to lose it inside. I remember talking about it to Yannick Noah, who told me what his son Joachim shared with him. He was saying that players could no longer stand being " locked up " and that whenever they would speak to the press it was to mention politics, racism and Black Lives Matter. In any case the NBA did things extremely efficiently and will of course continue to do so with their vaccine protocol.
Here are the recommendations that have made to the franchises :
I mean this is really starting to look good.
Of course the situation for the NBA is a little less complex as all the action takes place on American soil. They don’t have the " all over the world" issue to deal with that the ATP and WTA need to confront. The bull needs to be taken by the horn. Should these two governing bodies stock up on vaccine doses (they are not going to need 12 000), they coud take advantage of all the upcoming combined events to inject everyone with a first jab, before repeating the act a few weeks later.
Imagine that a first vaccination campaign takes place during the Madrid Masters 1000 event, the first week of May. You then just need to readministrate (not sure this word exist but you know what I mean so don’t check it just go with it) a dose to everyone at say Wimbledon and the job is done. All of a sudden 150 players (male and female) would be free(ish). In terms of logistics and costs it would mean a much easier job fo tournaments.
I’m no doctor (even though my niece is about to become one which makes me an honorary one) I’m pretty sure that there are even single injection vaccines. This means that between Madrid, Rome, and Roland-Garros, you could hit up the majority of the players that compete on the main circuit.
A journalist is always looking for a scoop. In this case I really hope I’m late, but in case I’m not, LET’S GO PEOPLE !!!
