Serbian was paired with his compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic; while Spanish Rafael Nadal, will face the American Marcos Giron.
The Open de Australia this Thursday included Novak Djokovic in the tournament table, although the participation of the world number one, likely to be expelled from the country for not being vaccinated, is still uncertain.
The outcome of the saga of the Serbian player, who managed to annul his deportation from the country for breaching the covid regulations, depends on the Immigration Minister Alex Hawke, who has been considering canceling his visa again for days.
Australian media indicate that the decision should be imminent, although the first ministro Scott Morrison He said Hawke’s position “has not changed” and continues to analyze the question of the 34-year-old tennis player.
Meanwhile, the primer Grand Slam of the year try to stick with the calendar. Thus, although with more than an hour delay that the organizers did not justify, the draw for the draw was held with the inclusion of Djokovic.
First seeded, the Serbian was paired with his compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic. For its part, the Spanish Rafael Nadal, sixth seed after months of absence from the circuit due to injury, he will face in the first round the American Marcos Giron.
The two stars, tied at 20 Grand Slams with the Swiss Roger Federer, will compete in Melbourne to clinch career number 21, an all-time record in men’s tennis. Their paths will not cross until an eventual semi-final.
In addition, the argentino Diego Schwartzman will face the Serbian Filip Krajinovic, the Chilean Christian Garín al Argentine Facundo Bagnis and the Spanish Roberto Bautista to the Italian Stefano Travaglia. His compatriot Pablo Carreño awaits rival of the previous round.
In the women’s team, the world number one Ashleigh Barty She will also face a player from the qualifiers and the Spanish-Venezuelan Garbiñe Muguruza, flaming winner of the WTA Masters, will face the young French Clara Burel.
Mistakes
Until now, the sports aspect was overshadowed by the soap opera of Novak Djokovic, winner of nine titles in Melbourne, including the last three editions.
The Serbian tennis player arrived in Australia last week with a medical exemption granted by the tournament organizers because tested positive for COVID-19 December 16.
Border agents canceled the visa, understanding that a recent infection did not exempt him from the obligation to be vaccinated, and they sent him to a migrant detention center in Melbourne.
But his team of lawyers managed to get a judge to reverse the decision Monday by a procedural error during his questioning at Melbourne Airport.
Since then, the ball has been in the court of the Immigration Minister, who is considering his expulsion while new information about the case continues to appear.
The player admitted “mistakes” on Thursday both in his travel statement presented to the Australian authorities, which his agent would have filled in, and in his attitude after learning his positive for covid-19 in December, attending an interview with a journalist from the sports newspaper The Team.
“This was a judgment error and I accept that I had to reschedule this commitment, “he admitted in a statement on Instagram.
Imminent decision?
The newspaper Sydney Morning Herald ensures that the decision must arrive this Thursday.
The Melbourne Herald Sun quotes an unidentified Conservative government official who believes that allowing Djokovic to stay would set a dangerous precedent.
For this source, the executive must act without considering any international “negative reaction”, because the visa cancellation It would be part of the efforts made by Australia for months to fight the virus.
Four months before a general election, the legal battle has political consequences in this country that experienced the most draconian restrictions on the planet during the pandemic, even restricting entry to its citizens.
“Australian policy is not authorize the entry into its territory of unvaccinated people. How we got here is beyond my understanding, ”the head of the Labor opposition, Anthony Albanese, said on Thursday.
In addition, the scandal comes amid a strong rebound in the epidemic that led the government of the state of Victoria, where Melbourne is located, to limit the capacity allowed during the Grand Slam celebration to 50%. (D)
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