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Sydney (AFP) – Australian authorities will grant Serbian star Novak Djokovic a visa to enter the country and participate in the Australian Open, the first of four major championships scheduled for January, several local sources reported on Tuesday.
And the Australian network “ABC” revealed on Tuesday that the Australian authorities decided to grant the former first class a visa to enter the country despite having not received the vaccine against the Corona virus, to go back to the decision taken at the beginning of this year to prevent the Serb from entering the country for three years.
Djokovic’s case made headlines in early 2022 when he was expelled from Australia and denied a title attempt for the 10th time in his career, due to not receiving the Corona vaccine, while the barred from entering the country for three years.
And there could be a move by the centre-left government to lift the ban due to its differences of opinion with the Conservative coalition that was in power when the Serb was deported from Australia.
There have been some indications in recent months that bolster the possibility of lifting Djokovic’s suspension, but the player himself said on Monday, after winning his first match in the ATP Finals, that “there’s nothing official yet.”
“We are waiting. They (the organizers of the tournament) are communicating with the Australian government. I can’t say anything else,” he added from Turin.
And last month, Australian tournament director Craig Tiley said after meeting Djokovic during Laver Cup competitions that the Serbian, who has won 21 major titles, wanted to enter the first Grand Slam tournament again.
“What we are saying at this point is that Novak and the federal government need to sort this out. And then we will follow all instructions,” he told The Age newspaper.
He added: “I spent time with Novak at the Laver Cup. We spoke generally. He has said very clearly that he would like to return to Australia, but he knows the final decision will be up to the federal government.”
And he added: “He has accepted this position. It is a private matter between them.”
In the same context, opposition politician Karen Andrews, who was home secretary when Djokovic was deported, told ABC radio that he shouldn’t be given special treatment.
“It would be a slap in the face to those people in Australia who did the right thing, got vaccinated, did whatever it took if Novak Djokovic were suddenly allowed back into the country just because he’s a top player with millions of dollars.” “, he added.
© 2022 AFP
