Andy Murray calls for more players to get vaccinated against COVID-19 ahead of the Australian Open

Andy Murray has called on more players to get vaccinated against COVID-19 but says he will support restrictions on those who are unvaccinated at next year's Australian Open.

Victoria sports minister Martin Pakula has said players planning to compete at the first Grand Slam of the year should get vaccinated to give themselves the best chance of competing in Melbourne.

And Murray says he would support moves by local authorities to impose stricter conditions on players at Melbourne Park than those who have been fully vaccinated.

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"My understanding is if you're unvaccinated you're still allowed to play, it's just the rules are going to be different," Murray told a news conference after Tuesday's third-round Indian Wells defeat by Alexander Zverev.

"You might just have to leave (for Australia) a few weeks earlier than everyone else. That's the player's choice. If the local government puts that in place then I would support that.

"It would be great if more players got vaccinated.

"Australia in particular has been very, very strict over there. The public there have had to endure a painful 18 months or whatever.

"If people are going to come into the country and potentially risk an outbreak in their community, yeah, that's understandable."

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Zverev, who in April said he had not been vaccinated, did not want to be stuck in the middle of the debate.

"I fully respect the decisions of players that are not vaccinated. I also do respect the decision that the Australian government is giving," he said.

"I don't want to be in the middle of something which I kind of am not involved in because I don't have that issue of the two-week quarantine, all that. I don't want to go against anybody here."

Vaccinated players are expected to given more freedom to move around Melbourne and may also be able to skip the country's mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival ahead of the Australian Open, which is due to start on January 17.

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