Djokovic acknowledged this week “mistakes” amid the scandal.
The Australian government canceled this Friday for the second time the visa of tennis player Novak Djokovic, who arrived in the country on January 5 without being vaccinated against covid-19 and has since been involved in an unprecedented battle to avoid his deportation.
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said in a statement that he made the decision for reasons of “health and public order”.
The government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison is “strongly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, especially in this context of the covid-19 pandemic,” Hawke explained in his text.
Djokovic, 34, is aiming for his 21st Grand Slam win at the Australian Open, which starts on Monday, beating Spain’s Rafa Nadal and Switzerland’s Roger Federer, absent through injury. But following this decision by the Australian government, the number 1 in world tennis may be banned from entering the country for three years, except under certain circumstances.
However, their lawyers again have the option to appeal.
Djokovic had obtained an exemption from the Australian Open organizers because he had tested positive for covid-19 in mid-December.
However, the border authorities did not consider that a recent infection justified an exception and on January 5, the day of his arrival in Australia, they canceled Djokovic’s visa and sent him to a migrant detention center.
The tennis player was locked up there until Monday, when his lawyers managed to get an Australian judge to release him for a procedural error during his interrogation at Melbourne airport.
Since then, Djokovic trained normally at the Australian Open facilities, which on Thursday included him as the first seed in the draw for the draw.
On Friday, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham insisted, ahead of Hawke’s official decision, that Australia only allows entry into its territory for people with a full vaccination schedule or those with an accepted medical exemption.
“This policy has not changed and we will continue to apply this policy rigorously,” he said on local ABC television.
He “makes us look like idiots”
Djokovic acknowledged this week “mistakes” amid the scandal. In a statement, he conceded that the travel declaration given to the authorities contained false information, but alleged that it was filled out by a member of his team.
He also admitted that he was wrong to meet with a journalist from the French newspaper L’Equipe on December 18 even knowing that he was infected with coronavirus.
The case sows discrepancy also in the circuit. Some players consider that the authorities should allow the participation of the world number one, but others are not so receptive.
This is the case of the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, number four in the world, who accused the Serbian of “having played by his own rules”.
“That requires a lot of courage and puts the entire tournament in jeopardy… I don’t think there are many tennis players who would have done the same,” he said in an interview with the Indian outlet WION.
Tsitsipas lamented that almost all players in the Grand Slam have been vaccinated, but “others have chosen to go their own way, which makes most of them look like idiots.”
This case has increased the pressure on Morrison’s Conservative government, which faces a general election in May.
During almost two years of the pandemic, Australians have been subjected to very severe restrictions, with a strict border closure that has kept citizens abroad separated from their families for a long time. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
