Wimbledon organizers will allow for unvaccinated players to compete in this year’s upcoming tournament, All England Lawns Tennis Club CEO Sally Bolton announced during a media briefing on Tuesday.
“As you will be aware, the requirement set up by government to enter the U.K. do not include mandatory vaccination,” Bolton said. “Therefore, whilst, of course, it is encouraged, it will not be a condition of entry to compete.”
Bolton added that there are no plans on implementing any COVID-19 restrictions and full capacity crowds will be welcomed back to watch the tournament. However, organizers continue to engage with local health officials to monitor the situation as it pertains to the virus to determine whether it is appropriate for health and safety measures to be implemented.
The vaccine decision opens the door to Novak Djokovic to play in the tournament and defend his title after he previously expressed his opposition to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
“The principles of decision-making on my body are more important than any title, or anything else,” Djokovic previously said in February to BBC journalist Amol Rajan.
Bolton said that organizers are “absolutely thrilled to welcome back the wider tennis family to Wimbledon this year.”
Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.
