Novak Djokovic case only beginning of vaccine in sports tournaments: 'No jab, no job'

Djokovic will be bitterly disappointed having missed out on the chance to secure a historical 21st grand slam at the Australian Open, a feat which his rival and fierce competitor Rafael Nadal beat him to. The Serbian was deported from Australia last month after becoming involved in a row with Australian authorities. Having failed to receive either dose of the vaccine - Djokovic, like much of Serbia, has voiced concerns about the jab - his paperwork was deemed to be incorrect, and a furore erupted about whether or not sports stars should be treated differently to the rest of the world's population.

It did not end well for the tennis ace, and Australia's immigration minister, Alex Hawke, decided to put an end to his ambitions by cancelling his visa on public interest grounds.

The event sparked a global conversation about the role of vaccines in certain sectors like sports, where athletes are often required to hop between several countries in as many days, potentially becoming super spreaders of emerging variants.

Chris Evans, a Labour MP for Islwyn in South Wales and Vice Chair of the tennis All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), told Express.co.uk that he sees a future where mandatory vaccination for such types of people will become universal.

When asked if he saw a "no vaccine, no job" scenario playing out for athletes, he said: "Yeah, I think that's going to happen.

"I think we're starting to see it in the premiership at the moment, that's starting to happen.

"This is something we've never encountered before and we have to take every precaution we can take.

"I think with sports stars, the nature of their job is that they move around an awful lot, so they have to follow those guidelines.

"So yes, I'm thinking we're going