Renata Voracova was declared a “medical exception” for having had coronavirus in the past six months. For this reason, similarly to, inter alia, Novak Djoković was admitted to Australia despite not being vaccinated.
Voracova had been in Australia for several days. She even managed to play in the doubles tournament in Melbourne. Together with Polish Katarzyna Piter they lost in the 1/8 finals with the doubles Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove – Arina Rodionova 2: 6, 4: 6. The detention of the Czech tennis player was related to the case of Djoković.
The case of Voracova is a consequence of the scandal with Djokovic
Australians did not want to let the unvaccinated leader of the ATP ranking into the country. The Serb appealed to the court, which on Monday overturned the decision to cancel his visa. Djoković is still in Melbourne and there are many indications that he will perform at the Australian Open.
The Czech tennis player was also placed in a hotel for immigrants after being arrested by the border authorities. – I’m in a room I can’t get out of anywhere. I can only open the windows a few centimeters. There are guards everywhere, also under my window which is a bit weird. Maybe they think I’ll jump and run? I feel a bit like in prison – admitted Voracoca, quoted by “L’Equipe”.
She had no money to defend herself?
Her story, however, took a different course than that of Djokovic. The media suggest that it is because Voracova could not afford a similar crowd of lawyers as the best tennis player in the world uses. While Djoković decided to appeal to the court against the detention decision, Voracova did not question the cancellation of her visa and left Australia. 38-year-old Czech, former player in the top 100 singles ranking and now 81 in doubles, earned 1.8 million dollars in her 22-year career and has much less money for lawyers than Djoković, the Guardian reads.
– The difference between Djokovic and Voracova is whether you will pay for a full team of lawyers or not. Should WTA and ATP not automatically provide legal advice in such cases? wondered famous tennis journalist Carole Bouchard.
The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the AFP agency that it protested against the player’s detention. However, Voracova has agreed to leave Australia and not participate in the Australian Open, which begins on January 17th. “Because my training options are limited,” she explained officially.
Deportowana
When news of the cancellation of Voracova’s visa spread, Nicole Melichar-Martinez, 12th player in the doubles ranking, criticized the move on Twitter. “This is wrong on so many levels,” she wrote. – She’s already started. She recovered and is probably the least dangerous person on the tour. It is not about health anymore, it is a political matter – added the American. Former Australian Open director Paul McNamee said Renata Voracova was deported banned from entering Australia for three years.
– At first I didn’t really understand why I was stopped. After a six-hour hearing, I was told that I had ten minutes to prepare for the speech – said Voracova in an interview with the Czech TV station DV TV. “I feel injustice, I will definitely suggest that the WTA federation take care of it and that the players do not find themselves in a similar situation,” she added. Voracova revealed that fans of Djokovic, who is now full on the streets of Melbourne, also chanted her name.
Of course, there would not be all the fuss if Voracova and they took the COVID-19 vaccine. However, Australian authorities first firmly announced that they would not admit unvaccinated tennis players, then instituted a “medical exception” procedure, and then began to withdraw from it. Unofficially, such permission to enter was granted to six players, including a Czech and a Serb.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
