A sudden turn on Novak Djokovic. “The government reached for nuclear weapons”

– The Australian government says that the presence of Novak Djokovic for two weeks at the Australian Open could threaten life and social order, increasing anti-vaccination sentiment and disregard for COVID-19 rules – informs “The Age”.

It seemed that the main argument on the part of the Australian government at the hearing on Sunday would be the evidence of errors in the Serbian tennis player’s documentation. Der Spiegel reported a possible manipulation of Djokovic’s tests. In turn, the American media indicated that Djoković had incorrectly completed the travel declaration before arriving in Melbourne (he had not entered Spain as the country he stayed in 14 days before crossing the Australian border).

Change of tactics

The Age daily reports that Australian authorities have completely changed tactics before Sunday’s hearing. The Scott Morrison government is supposed to explain to the court the withdrawal of Djoković’s visa not with errors in his documentation, but with the potential danger that may arise from the strengthening of the anti-vaccine ideology, which is to be influenced by the Serb presence in Australia.

– Immigration Minister Alex Hawke admitted that unvaccinated Novak Djoković entered Australia on valid medical leave and poses a low risk of contracting the virus while in the country and passing it on to others – reports “The Age”.

Hawke, in a letter to the court, described the Serbian tennis player as “an unvaccinated person who publicly opposed vaccination and showed visible signs of disregarding basic COVID principles, such as isolation after positive testing.”

Djoković says he tested positive for COVID on December 16. Despite this, he did not give up meeting people. – The next day, I was at my tennis center in Belgrade to fulfill a multi-year commitment for an interview and photo shoot for L’Equipe magazine. I canceled all other events except the interview. I felt compelled to talk as I did not want to disappoint the journalist, but I made sure I kept my distance and wore a mask, except when pictures were taken. When I went home after the interview to isolate myself for the required period, after some reflection I decided it was a mistake and I agree that I should have postponed this commitment –

This translation is hard to believe. “The best part of Djokovic’s statement is the idea that a highly paid sports star wouldn’t cancel an interview because she didn’t want to disappoint the journalist,” wrote journalist Paul Cully of The Sydney Morning Herald. The Australian minister, writing to the court about the lack of isolation on the part of Djoković, had in mind, inter alia, just this interview with the French “L’Equipe”.

Djoković spreads ideology?

Given Mr Djokovic’s high-profile status and position as a role model in the sporting and wider community, his continued presence in Australia could foster a similar disregard for precautionary requirements following a positive COVID-19 test, continued Minister Hawke.

– In particular, Djokovic’s behavior may encourage or influence others to imitate his previous behavior and fail to follow appropriate health measures after positive testing, which in itself can lead to disease transmission and serious danger. Djokovic’s presence in Australia may threaten not so much the spread of the virus as the spread of anti-vaccine ideology, he concluded.

Australian authorities will defend the decision to cancel the visa not with the fact that unvaccinated Djoković may infect other people in Australia (especially since he recently had the disease) or errors in his papers, but the negative impact of anti-vaccine ideology on Australian society. The Serb himself has earned it to be seen as one of the global leaders of the anti-vaccination movement.

Controversy around the Serb

At the beginning of the pandemic, he stated that he was not a supporter of all vaccines. He then backed away, explaining that he needed to consider whether he would opt for the COVID vaccine. We know from the transcripts of the first court hearing in Australia that he has not been vaccinated to this day. Even so, he disregarded pandemic principles.

In the middle of last year, when the tennis games were interrupted due to the pandemic, the world’s best tennis player organized show tournaments in the Balkans, where adequate security measures were not respected. Nobody kept social distance, no masks were worn, the stands were full of fans and the players were taking photos with them. Effect? Djokovic and several other tennis players became infected. “He mocked the coronavirus until it mocked him”, “DjoCOVID” – fans laughed at Djoković. – The world of sport has not seen such a disgrace for a long time –

– The government used nuclear weapons in the Novak Djokovic case. He presents it as a threat to society, commented the Australian media. And they wonder if the new argument will prevail in the courtroom. If so, the Serb will be deported from the country, possibly also banned from entering the country for three years, which could exclude him from entering the Australian Open forever. In May, Djoković will turn 35. In turn, if the leader of the ranking wins in court, he will be admitted to the tournament, which starts on Monday.

Politics in the background

Such a radical change of tactics on the part of the Australian government could be a double-edged sword in the context of the entire pandemic. Deportation for spreading anti-vaccine ideology would officially anoint Serb as the leader of the anti-vaccination movement. The global impact of such a decision is difficult to predict.

Scott Morrison’s government has been accused of being populism and using a tennis player in political struggle. According to opinion polls, the vast majority of Australians want Djokovic’s expulsion. It is not surprising, because they live in a country with very strict pandemic rules, in Melbourne alone, a lockdown was introduced six times, which lasted a total of nine months. At the same time, parliamentary elections must be held in Australia by May 2022 at the latest. Recent polls suggest that support for Prime Minister Morrison has dropped to its lowest level since the start of the pandemic.