Djokovic’s Twelfth Night had little to do with those in which he awaited the arrival of gifts at his home in Serbia since the number one in the world lived a situation closer to the farce than to logic. After announcing that he had been granted the medical exemption to be able to play the Australian Open without having received, apparently, the vaccine against COVID-19, the Serbian took the corresponding flights before the last stopover that would take him from Dubai to Melbourne. And there the problems began … The Victorian government reported that Djokovic’s visa application had been rejected on formal grounds. before the plane touched down shortly before midnight at Melbourne Airport. The reason? The petition had used a document other than the one necessary for his specific case: entry into the country for non-vaccinated with medical exemption.
What could have been a mere administrative setback was completed by another problem more difficult to remedy: the government authorities of the oceanic country would require the tennis player to justify the reasons for which the exemption was granted. “We await your submission and the evidence you provide to support your exemption. If that evidence is insufficient, you will not be treated differently from others and will be on the next plane back home, “warned Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister of Australia. According to ‘The Age’, local media, Djokovic had presented as a cause for exemption having passed the coronavirus in the last six months, a reason that did not appear in principle in the list of causes for entering the country without a vaccine.
Djokovic being quizzed about evidence to support vax exemption by border officials in airport room hours after landing. Fed govt source said COVID infection in past 6mos – suspected basis for Novak’s exemption – may not suffice under border laws https://t.co/TM5BF0Gu80 @theage https://t.co/rfBv2UwkVQ
— Paul Sakkal (@paulsakkal) January 5, 2022
Djokovic was separated from the group he was traveling with, with his coach Goran Ivanisevic among them, at passport control and taken to a room at Tullamarine airport guarded by two policemen. There, the winner of twenty Grand Slams (nine of them on the Melbourne tracks) was stripped of his mobile, which he did not recover until after more than three hours, and was interrogated answering questions by officials of the Australian Border Force. throughout the night, almost nine hours. The climax of tension was increasing starting with the statements of Jaala Pulford, Minister of Sports of the state of Victoria: “We will not give you assistance to apply for an individual visa. We have been clear on two points: the approval of visas depends on the Federal Government and medical exemptions are a matter for doctors ”.
Far from abating the storm, the case became a matter of state and reached the highest political cusps of Serbia that summoned Daniel Emery, Australian ambassador in Belgrade, to ask for explanations. “Our state demands that the world’s first racket be released immediately, something that the Serbian ambassador has also requested, who contacted the player and took all possible measures,” collected ‘Informer’ from sources in the country. Central European. The issue, far from subsiding, continued to ‘grow’. Novak’s father, Srdjan Djokovic, fanned the flames more in ‘Sputnik’ asking for the support of his compatriots: “If he is not released in the next half hour, we will fight for his freedom in the street.”.
Uncertainty grew as the tennis world stared at the situation in amazement. After 10:15 p.m. (8:15 a.m. on January 6 in Melbourne), the runrún grew and the bomb exploded: the Australian authorities denied the visa as they did not see the exemption justified and informed the number one that he had to leave the oceanic country with immediate effect. The lawyers are trying to appeal the decision and will try that Nole does not leave the country yet and can wait for the decision in a hotel or government room, but Novak’s presence to defend the crown at the Australian Open is further away than ever.
Mr Djokovic’s visa has been cancelled. Rules are rules, especially when it comes to our borders. No one is above these rules. Our strong border policies have been critical to Australia having one of the lowest death rates in the world from COVID, we are continuing to be vigilant.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) January 5, 2022
Minutes later, the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, wrote a forceful message on social networks: “I just hung up with Novak Djokovic. I told him 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 in the shortest possible time. In accordance with all the norms of international public law, Serbia will fight for Novak Djokovic, for justice and truth. “
