Austria’s Minister of Health Wolfgang Mückstein has told Dominic Thiem to get vaccinated. “There are 30-year-olds in intensive care. All the current vaccines available are safe and have been used a billion times.”, Mückstein said.

This week, Dominic Thiem was banned from his home tournament, the Vienna Open, because he was not vaccinated. Thiem is waiting for Novavax to be approved.

I am waiting for Novavax vaccine to be approved. If it doesn’t work within the end of November, I will take another vaccine.

– Dominic Thiem

But the health minister Mückstein said that inactivated vaccines such as Novavax are not better than current vaccines on the market.

Thiem is not the only player reluctant to take the vaccine. World number 1 Novak Djokovic has also been coy about his vaccination status. Reports indicate that the players will need to be vaccinated to play the Australian Open.

Thiem has been out of action due to a persistent wrist injury. He has recently started training again and is expected to return to competition at the Australian Open.