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Novak Djokovic awaits the result of an appeal after his entry visa was cancelled when he arrived in Australia on Wednesday due to not being vaccinated.
The men’s tennis world number one has been caught up in a social media, and now, political storm following the controversial exemption given to him by Tennis Australia at the start of the week to participate in the tournament without a COVID-19 vaccination.
The tournament organisers made it clear months ago that all competitors, staff and fans would only be allowed to attend if they had appropriate vaccinations against the virus. Djokovic, however, has expressed his concerns about the vaccine saying he wanted to have “an option to choose what’s best for my body” and that he “wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine” to travel or compete in tournaments.
The strong expectation therefore was that the Serb would not be allowed to compete in the Australian Open, that he has won nine times, and to have the chance to win a record 21st Grand Slam title and overtake Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer who also both currently hold 20 titles.
Suddenly, with just two weeks to go until the start of the tournament, Tennis Australia surprisingly announced on Tuesday that “Djokovic applied for a medical exemption which was granted following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts”.
This decision was met with anger across the tennis community as well as throughout Australia, where there have been strict COVID-19 restrictions on travel in and out of the country for the last two years.
Concerns were raised as to why the defending champion has apparently been given preferential treatment resulting in allegations that the organisers have broken their own strict rules in order to let Djokovic play.
Meanwhile, Australians have not been able to travel freely to see loved ones, even if they have been vaccinated, as the country continues to battle with the spread of COVID-19.
With mounting public outrage at the decision, events took a further twist when the Serb arrived in Melbourne the day after he was given the all-clear to travel.
Djokovic was questioned by Australian Borders Forces for five hours at Melbourne Airport, who then decided to cancel his entry visa, explaining that there was insufficient evidence to justify the exemption against not having a COVID-19 vaccination and that he would be deported the next day.
The Serbian’s lawyers then appealed the decision as he continues his stay in an immigration hotel until a ‘final’ decision is made on Monday.
It was announced back in mid-November 2021 that the Australian Open would become the first Grand Slam tennis tournament to require attendees to be vaccinated. Therefore, it was a surprise that a medical exemption was granted for Djokovic less than two weeks before the start of the tournament.
It is also incredible that despite being given a medical exemption by Tennis Australia to play, the 34-year-old apparently applied for and was approved a visa by Australian authorities that does not allow for medical exemptions for being unvaccinated.
Despite all the current attention, it is not just Djokovic who has sought an exemption. According to the tournament’s chief executive Craig Tiley, 26 staff and players had applied for medical exemptions and “a handful” had been granted under guidelines set by federal regulators.
Supporters of the Serbian tennis player have complained that he has been singled out and unfairly treated, especially given the particularly negative media and political attention he has received.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison explained during a press conference that ‘rules are rules’ and that Djokovic would not be an exception.
“On the issue of Mr [Novak] Djokovic, rules are rules and there are no special cases. It’s been our government’s strong border policies and particularly in relation to the pandemic, that has ensured that Australia has one of the lowest death rates from COVID-19 anywhere in the world.”
Meanwhile, the Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic added further political pressure to the issue advising that he had spoken to Djokovic and offered his full support.
“I told our Novak [Djokovic] that the whole of Serbia is with him and that our bodies are doing everything to see that the harassment of the world’s best tennis player is brought to an end immediately.”
Everyone now awaits the decision of Djokovic’s appeal which has created unnecessary media and political attention.
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