Novak Djokovic Denied Entry To Australia General Sport

[Boot Cleaner]

Think this was always coming. Australia is notoriously strict on their border controls and it really looked like Djokovic was taking the piss out of them.

 

[Veer]

Even if it's about following the rules, I still believe it was mishandled and as an enthusiast fan I feel bad for him.

 

[Mouth]

Think this was always coming. Australia is notoriously strict on their border controls and it really looked like Djokovic was taking the piss out of them.

I agree and it was just about timing, damned if they did, damned if they didn't cancel his Visa, clearly their priority was Australian Citizens feeling on this debacle, I suspect the scenes would have been ugly at the Australian Open, had he played.

 

[Fraser]

It's all a bit pathetic really on all sides, tennis is the real loser but the mob rule sort of made it impossible for Novak to play, and on his side, he should have managed it better there's no question about that either. There are no winners here.

 

[Best]

New twist each day.

I think he's lied about having the virus within the last month in order to attempt to get an exemption to enter Australia. There's simply no other way he could enter the country without vaccination or a different, valid medical exemption. The shite he's come up with means I now think has no chance of playing in the Australia Open and he'll be deported soon.

Yes, more details have come to the fore throughout the week.

He tried to pull the wool over their eyes and was caught out. That alone should be grounds for refusal.

The only person to blame for all of this mess is himself.

 

[Legion]

This whole incident has been a complete circus. Djokovic is the world's best male tennis player and I would have liked to see him compete.

HOWEVER:

• He blabbed all over social media that he had been granted a medical exemption. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that this was clearly in relation to his unvaccinated status, at a time when many Australian citizens have had extreme difficulty travelling, even within their own country.
• He lied (misled, however you want to phrase it) on his entry form, about not having travelled to other countries in the 14 days prior to travelling to Australia. There is no way that his team didn't know about this requirement, and anyway the buck stops with Djokovic- he is the one seeking the visa.
• He didn't follow Serbia's own rules about isolating when positive. He probably infected a load of kids and a journalist- he didn't even tell the journalist he was positive. There's no way to view this other than Djokovic being an arsehole who doesn't care about the rules or common decency.

From Australia's point of view- they should have anticipated this fiasco as Djokovic is known to have not received the vaccine, and stopped him from flying into the country, to begin with. To me, it sounds like they need much clearer alignment between their state and federal entry policies.

He really gave Hawke no choice but to cancel his visa at this point. It's not about vaccine status anymore, it's about applying entry rules exactly the same to everyone.

If I tried to get into America or Australia or multiple other countries by lying on my entry form, I would be turfed out and banned from returning. Take the vaccine stance out of this completely. Seems like people want Djokovic to be treated differently to other plebs.

 

[Siobhan]

I like my tennis and really admire Novak as a great player coming from his background to get to the very top - but maybe he fails to see that sport is not always the most important thing when the world is bleeding and people suffering - too self focused?

IMO to be a true "legend" (like Ali for example) a 'great' sportsman needs to transcend their sport, rise above it and fulfil a higher purpose for humanity to unite and inspire others, it is not just about their sport.

Novak will never be a legend. His "greatness" in tennis is now also open to debate.

 

[Tom]

Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke says the risk of 'civil unrest' led to Novak Djokovic's visa being cancelled for a second time.

He said: "I consider that Mr Djokovic's ongoing presence in Australia may lead to an increase in anti-vaccination sentiment generated in the Australian community, potentially leading to an increase in civil unrest of the kind previously experienced in Australia with rallies and protests which may themselves be a source of community transmission.

 

[Franco Pinion]

Court upholds decision to cancel visa. He's gone.

ATP statement

Today's decision to uphold Novak Djokovic's Australian visa cancellation marks the end of a deeply regrettable series of events. Ultimately, decisions of legal authorities regarding matters of public health must be respected. More time is required to take stock of the facts and to take the learnings from this situation.

Irrespective of how this point has been reached, Novak is one of our sport's greatest champions and his absence from the Australian Open is a loss for the game. We know how turbulent the recent days have been for Novak and how much he wanted to defend his title in Melbourne. We wish him well and look forward to seeing him back on court soon.

ATP continues to strongly recommend vaccination to all players.