A visa dispute is creating problems with Novak Djokovic's entry to Australia, who flew to Melbourne ahead of his participation in the Australian Open. The sites of various Australian media report this. According to the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Victorian state authorities denied the visa application after the player and team submitted a wrong model, which does not allow medical exemptions for non-vaccination. The situation is stalemate and the world's # 1 and his staff are stationary at the airport. The officials of the border agents have the discretion to allow Djokovic to enter the country, even without the green light of the authority, but the affair is becoming political, with a confrontation between federal and state authorities.
"The federal government has asked us if we support Novak Djokovic's visa application to enter Australia.
We will not give this support [...] - writes Victoria's sports minister, Jaala Pulford - on twitter. We have always been clear on two points: the study of visa applications is a prerogative of the federal government and medical exemptions a prerogative of doctors ".
The situation reflects the anger towards Djokovic among ministers and senior Victorian officials for not wanting to declare whether he is vaccinated or not and not even the reasons for the exemption obtained.
There is also growing fear among them of being criticized by the media and voters for favoring the Serbian.