The tennis world has been focused on Novak Djokovic‘s vaccine status and whether he will get vaccinated to play the Australian Open. But France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert became the first player to take a vaccine stance – he will not compete at the 2022 Australian Open because he is not vaccinated.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert told the French publication L’Alsace

Personally, I am not vaccinated and the trip to Australia was not an option for me

I do what I can. But because of my singles ranking, it may have been a bad thing (to go to Australia) for a good start.

He is currently ranked outside the Top 100 in singles ranking and would have had to play the qualifying rounds to get into the main draw in singles.

Hugues Herbert was realistic and accepted that he may not be able to remain unvaccinated for long  because it’s required by many countries and tournaments. He said:

Yes, for my part, it is a personal choice not to be vaccinated. I don’t know how long it will last, I don’t know if it’s feasible today to be a tennis player without being vaccinated.

There is not only Australia. Today, there are the United States, Austria … it is a rather complex topic.

Rafael Nadal is arguably one of the best players to play tennis. He has 22 grand slam titles with 14 of those coming on clay at Roland Garros. Some say he is the greatest of all time. Some of his records on clay are unlikely to to be surpassed by future generations. His success on the court comes from his intense focus on training and working with coaches to constantly improve his game.

In 2017, Nadal hired Carlos Moya as his primary coach. Moya won the 1998 French Open title and is a former world number one. His coaching team also includes Frances Roig, who has been with Rafa for some time. In 2021, he added his sometimes doubles partner Marc Lopez to his team. In 2016, Nadal won the Olympic gold medal in doubles with Lopez.

From 2005 until 2017, Nadal was coached by his uncle Toni Nadal. Most of Nadal’s big titles came under his partnership with his uncle. Toni Nadal was known for constantly a young Rafael Nadal to the extreme in practice sessions to be the best player in the world. Francisco Roig Genís has acted as an alternate coach since 2005.

Toni Nadal brought discipline to Nadal’s practice sessions and his on-court behavior. Nadal rarely throws his racquets on the court in anger like most other players – a behavior that his uncle encouraged from a young age.

Since parting with Nadal, Toni Nadal has been coaching Felix Auger Aliassime. Toni Nadal has an agreement with Auger Aliassime that he will not coach the Canadian player for his matches against Rafael Nadal.

A common theme in Rafael Nadal’s coaching team over the years has been the presence of Spaniards in his team. He only hires people he is friends with but who can also help him take his game to the next level.