Tennis: Vaccine norms force Aman Dahiya to miss out on Australian Open

The 17-year-old Indian tennis star Aman Dahiya is all set to miss out on the Australian Open junior event owing to strict covid-19 vaccination rules. The event requires all the players competing to be fully vaccinated or risk missing out.

This came as a big jolt to Dahiya as the vaccination drive for the under-18 population in India has only started today.

"We have got the visa for Aman, but the Australian Open officials have been very firm in sticking to their stipulation. We did explain that under-18 vaccination had not yet started in India. We were also thinking of getting the vaccination done in some other country, but nothing could work'', Dahiya's coach Jignesh Rawal was quoted as saying by Sportstar.

Ranked number 142 in the world in Junior Rankings, Aman Dahiya was expected to compete at the Australian Open qualifying round and a grade-1 junior event before that.

The coach stated that they did seek an exemption for Aman, but the request was rejected since he is eligible to be vaccinated under the Australian guidelines.