World number one Ashleigh Barty will not urge rising tennis star Olivia Gadecki to get vaccinated, even though it will mean she will miss the Australian Open.
Gadecki, who was part of Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup squad, is thought to be a promising talent and was expected to receive a wildcard for the first Grand Slam of next year.
The 19-year-old made her WTA debut in 2021 at the Gippsland Trophy and is currently ranked 233rd in the world.
Her most impressive win to date came at the Phillip Island Trophy, where she beat former Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin in three sets.
But despite being on course to make her Grand Slam debut, Gadecki is not inoculated against Covid-19 as of yet, and is forbidden from taking part in any Australian tournaments.
Australia has some of the strictest Covid restrictions in the world and Melbourne has introduced a vaccine mandate for professional athletes, that will impact who participates in the first major of the new season.
World number one Barty has mentored Gadecki during her career so far and has described the teenager as an “extreme talent.”
The Wimbledon champion stressed that she’d spoken with Gadecki in recent months but will not try and change her mind on getting the vaccine.
Speaking to News Online from Australia, Barty said: “I’ve spoken to her a little bit, but she’s an adult and she has her own career and she makes her own decisions.
“That’s something I’ve said to her a lot of the time. For me, I’ve grown up and made my own decisions that I’m accountable for and she‘s done the exact same thing.
“So I’m not in a position where I’m going to try and sway her or do anything, in a sense, to change her mind.
“I’m here as a friend, to support her and love her and whenever I see Liv, I try and catch up with her and we chat through everything, not just tennis.”
While Gadecki would have been set to profit at least $90,000 if she received a wildcard for the Australian Open main draw, Barty emphasised that money should not play a factor in her decision.
“Life is not all about money. In fact, that’s very low down on anyone’s priority list,” she said.
“So I think for Liv it’s time for her to reconnect with her family and the ones that she loved the most.
“It’s the decision that she’s made. I continue to chat to her and my opinion of her does not change at all.
“I’m proud that she’s made her decision for her reasons – for the right reasons – and that’s all you can do – is make the right decision for you.”
Barty has always remained impartial when it has come to the discussion of vaccination and only recently revealed that she’d been double jabbed herself.
“I didn’t feel there was a need for me to tell everyone whether I was vaccinated or not. I have been vaccinated my whole life,” she told the Courier-Mail.
“I think players are entitled to [do what they want] at the end of the day it's part of your medical history. You understand people make decisions for different reasons and you have to respect that.
“From my point of view it’s personal to me. I had my vaccine in April. I was fit and healthy and I was doing it for the people around me to make sure we were safe.
"There is no judgement for me or necessity for me to see what others have done.’’
Though Gadecki seems unlikely to play in Melbourne next year, Barty will certainly be there and is the heavy favourite to win the title.