The granting of a medical exemption to the world’s first racket in men’s tennis, Novak Djokovic, has been widely criticized for allowing him to play in the Australian Open, and he has problems with his Australian visa.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned Djokovic that he will have to “go home on the next plane” if he cannot be duly justified in obtaining a medical exemption to play in the Australian Open. An exception is the requirement to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
The decision by the organizers of the Australian Open Tennis Championship to grant a medical exemption to Djokovic, who has so far avoided talking about his vaccination status on the pretext that it is a private matter, was announced on Instagram this week by a tennis player on a Instagram. opportunity to take part in the tournament and is already on his way to Australia.
However, he could have problems at the border because the Australian government has stated that he must provide “acceptable evidence” that he cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.
Morrison stressed that despite the superstar status, Djokovic will not receive any privileges.
Australia’s Home Secretary, Caren Andrews, who also vaccinated against Covid-19 in more than 90% of 16-year-olds, emphasized that “the Australian Border Guard will continue to ensure that everyone who crosses our border is compliant.”
“No Australian Open will receive special treatment,” she said.
Djokovic’s trip to Australia has already been troubled on Wednesday as Victorian officials have refused to approve his visa application.
Jala Palford, the acting minister for sports, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that the state had rejected the federal government’s request for assistance with the athlete’s visa because it was up to the federal government to approve the visa.-
“We will not give Djokovic an individual confirmation of his visa application so that he can take part in the 2022 Australian Open,” the politician said.
It is not yet clear why there is a problem with Djokovic’s visa, but it has been reported in the Australian media that the athlete has applied for the wrong type of visa.
Djokovic is reported to have arrived at Melbourne airport on Wednesday.
This year’s Australian Open is open only to tennis players vaccinated against Covid-19 or those who have received a medical exemption from a group of independent experts.
It is not yet clear why the 34-year-old athlete, who in April last year strongly opposed a possible vaccination requirement to participate in tournaments, has been granted a medical exemption.
Craig Tayley, the director of the Australian Open, expressed hope that Djokovic would explain his situation and the reasons why he had been allowed to take part in the tournament.
The tournament director said he understood that people could be worried about the exemption for Djokovic, especially because he had previously opposed vaccination, but stressed that he was not entitled to disclose any other person’s health data.
Earlier, Tailey reported that 26 unvaccinated tournament participants had applied for medical exemption status, and only a handful of people had received such permission under the guidelines of several federal agencies.
Tailey stressed that the Serbian tennis star was not in a privileged position because two separate commissions had considered granting exemptions without knowing which player’s application was being considered, but as public criticism grew, he called on the athlete to be open about the decision.
The guidelines of the Australian Technical Advisory Group state that a medical exemption may be granted for a number of reasons, such as an acute serious medical problem or a severe adverse reaction following a previous dose of Covid-19.
One possible explanation for granting a medical exemption to Djokovic could be the fact that he has contracted the coronavirus for the second time in the last six months. It is publicly known that a Serbian tennis player was infected with Covid-19 after the 2020 Adria Tour in Belgrade.
The decision to grant a medical exemption to Djokovic was criticized, for example, by former Australian tennis player Sam Grot, who said it was a “spit in the face of everyone in Victoria and Australia” who had conscientiously vaccinated and kept strict restrictions on the virus for the past two years.
Djokovic was also surprised by British tennis player Jamie Murray, who said “I don’t think I would have been exempted if I hadn’t been vaccinated.”
Djokovic has won the Australian Open nine times and shares the title of Grand Slam tennis player with Roger Federer of Switzerland and Rafael Nadal of Spain, each with 20 trophies.
Nadal has already arrived in Melbourne to prepare properly for the upcoming season and tournament after being infected with Covid-19.
The season’s first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open, will run from January 17-30.
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