Novak Djokovic could be barred from playing in French Open

Under the new rules, athletes without a vaccine pass cannot compete in France.

PARIS -- Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic could be barred from competing in the French Open following the French Parliament’s adoption of a vaccine pass on Sunday.

Professional athletes, regardless of nationality, will now have to show their credentials and present a vaccine pass to access sports venues, France’s Minister of Sports Roxana Maracineanu told reporters on Monday.

Maracineanu had told French radio station France Info differently earlier this month, saying that athletes like Djokovic could benefit from exemptions "because the protocol, the health bubble of these major sporting events will allow it."

However, she said on Monday that the recent law to curb the spread of the new coronavirus passed by the French Parliament had changed the situation.