Novak Djokovic’s chances of playing in his 10th Australian Open title are in trouble because on Thursday the country denied him entry and revoked his visa as he was unable to prove his exemption for COVID-19 vaccine.
On Tuesday Djokovic announced on social media that he had been issued a exemption permit from the Victorian state government and arrived in Australia late on Wednesday, hoping to protect himself from tough vaccination laws for the first major tennis tournament of the year.
However, the Australian Border Force released a statement saying that Djokovic has failed to meet entry requirements and that border officials have not agreed to release him.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told a in news conference. “The rule is very clear; you need to have a medical exemption. He didn’t have a valid medical exemption. We make the call at the border, and that’s where it’s enforced.”
Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said that the border officials have reviewed Djokovic’s medical exemption & after that his visa was cancelled. He also said that Djokovic has a right to appeal against this decision but his visa is cancelled so someone will have to leave the country.
Djokovic, who was born in Serbia, was detained overnight at the Tullamarine airport in Melbourne. The 20 times grand slam winner had to wait more than eight hours at the airport to see if he would be allowed to enter the country. He was later taken to a safe hotel near the city of Melbourne run by immigration officials.
Local media has reported that Djokovic has filed a plea in the federal court over his visa cancellation.
Questions arise as to whether exemptions should be allowed.
The Sydney Morning Herald published letters from late last year sent to Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt & Tennis Australia which indicate that Djokovic does not meet the requirements of a quarantine free entry in the country.
Answering questions about the confusion about different state and federal needs, Prime Minister Morrison said every passenger should have proper documentation when they arrive in the country.
Morrison rejected the claim that Djokovic was singled out but also agreed that other players could be in Australia on the similar exemption.
Morrison said that the Border Force uses intelligence to target individuals & when you tell people what they say they have in public, they get a lot of attention.
Whoever does so, whether you are a celebrity, a politician or a tennis player than also expect that more questions are coming your way
The exemption was screened by two independent expert panels and was literally based on information provided by players anonymously, allowed Djokovic to play in the Australian Open apart from his vaccine status.
He had previously spoken out against the vaccine and also refused to comment that whether he he got the vaccine shots or not.
Alexander Vucic the Serbian President said on Instagram after he talked to Djokovic while he was detained at the airport that Serbian authorities were taking steps to stop the harassment of the world’s leading tennis player in the shortest possible time.
Djokovic became a hot topic in politics as soon as he revealed on social media that he was going to Australia in search of a record 21st-ranked title. Many Australians who have been forced into isolation and had to obtain a quiet expensive antigen test are considering it to be a double standard.
Critics have questioned what could be the reasons for his release and his supporters say he has privacy rights and freedom of will.
Tensions are rising after another surge has been seen in new COVID-19 cases. On Thursday six deaths and almost twenty two thousand new cases were recorded in Victora state which is the biggest jump in case since the start of the pandemic.
Craig Tilly on Wednesday the Australian Open tournament director defended the “official application and process” and insisted that Djokovic has not been given any special treatment.
The Victorian government has decided that only fully vaccinated players, staff, fans and officials will be allowed to enter Melbourne Park when the tournament starts on January 17.
Only 26 people in the competition applied for medical exemptions and only few were granted with the exemption & none of these players have been publicly identified.
Acceptable reasons for release are severe medical conditions, adverse reaction to a previous dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, or evidence of COVID-19 infection in the last six months.
Djokovic was diagnosed with the coronavirus in June 2020 after playing a series of matches in Serbia and Croatia.
Concerns over the visa situation escalated on Wednesday when Morrison said he if Djokovic exemption application is proved to be inadequate than he will be treated no different than others and he will be on the next plane to home.