Dhe tug-of-war for the number one appearance in the tennis world rankings at this year’s Australian Open in Melbourne has swelled into a political conflict. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić accuses Australia of “treating Novak Djokovic badly”. The star was initially stuck in a room at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne, only to be moved to the Park Hotel in the city center in quarantine.
There, fans of the tennis player gathered at noon (local time). At first it was said that he should fly out that evening. However, his lawyers resisted this. An initial hearing took place in Australia at noon before Judge Anthony Kelly adjourned the case to the afternoon. However, he asked if the tennis player had access to a training field at his hotel.
It’s going to be political
The 34-year-old Serb is accused of wanting to cross the border into Australia without valid entry documents. “Non-nationals who do not have a valid visa upon entry or whose visa has been canceled will be arrested and expelled from Australia,” stated the Australian Border Guard unequivocally. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in the meantime that Djokovic never had a “medical certificate of exemption”. But this is necessary if the visitor has not been vaccinated twice – which Djokovic, who does not provide any information, does not seem to be.
President Vučić went on the offensive. He reported that he spoke to the player on the phone at around 8 a.m. Australian time (1 a.m. in Germany). “I told our Novak that all of Serbia is with him and that our authorities are taking all measures to stop the harassment of the best tennis player in the world,” he wrote in Serbian on Instagram. “Serbia will fight for Novak Djokovic, for justice and truth.”
Djokovic supporters from the local Serbian community demonstrate outside the Melbourne hotel where their idol has stayed.
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Image: William West / AFP
Djokovic’s father Srdjan is also fueling the interstate debate on the Internet. He reported that his son was being held in a room at the airport for hours without his entourage and also without a mobile phone. Then he made threats: “You are holding my son prisoner. If they don’t release him in the next half hour, we’ll meet in the street. This is a fight for everyone. “
In the meantime, after initial hesitation, the truth seems relatively clear to Morrison: “He was not able to provide the border guards at the airport with this proof (a medical exemption) last night. Such are the rules, and it happens on many occasions, and it has happened now. “
It remains unclear
However, the case does not seem to be that simple: Australian media report that the tennis player actually had the necessary papers to enter the country. They were issued to him in November. The state of Victoria has apparently issued 26 special permits for those traveling to the tournament in the past few months. To this end, two independent medical committees examined the anonymized applications. On Wednesday, Morrison himself also announced: “You (the government of Victoria) have given him a special permit to enter Australia, and we are acting on this decision.”
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