Victoria Azarenka has called on tennis bosses to introduce a vaccine mandate for all players in order to avoid another 'circus' like the one involving Novak Djokovic this month.
The men's world number one's participation at the Australian Open was in doubt for months over his refusal to reveal whether or not he had been vaccinated against Covid-19.
In the end he travelled Down Under with a medical exemption, but it kicked off a long-running saga involving visa cancellations, two court appeals and his eventual deportation on the eve of the event.
The whole affair cast a shadow over the build-up to the tournament, and Andy Murray 's former coach Darren Cahill said it had been "a cloud hanging over the players" as they prepared for the first Grand Slam of 2022.
To avoid repeats in the future, former world number one Azarenka, a two-time champion in Australia, believes it would be best if all players were required to get the jab.
"I believe in science. I believe in getting vaccinated," said the Belarusian, who sealed her place in the third round with a straight-sets win over Jil Teichmann on Wednesday.
"That is what I did for myself. I don't want to push my beliefs onto everybody else, however, we are playing a global sport."
There is a possibility of more drama if Djokovic remains unjabbed and tries to play at other major tournaments this year.
Athletes must be vaccinated to compete in France, the government declared earlier this week, placing his participation at the second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open, into doubt.
And there is a possibility that similar measures might be put in place between now and the summer that could restrict Djokovic's participation at Wimbledon and the US Open.
A "black and white" approach is the best way to ensure no more competitions are overshadowed by such controversy, Azarenka believes.
"I don't believe that this was something that just came out of nowhere. This could have been prevented," she added.
"This could have been addressed way earlier than it was at this point. What happened after, I don't believe there was anybody who looked good in any case. That became a bit of a circus.
"I think there should be a really hard look on this situation moving forward. I think as soon as there is a grey area in the rules, that gives a bit too much questions, and situations like this happen.
"On certain things I think a black and white approach is necessary. In my opinion, this should be the case."
