Novak Djokovic, who a growing number of people think is the best tennis player in history, has never addressed the corona plague by health and government standards.
In May 2020, as the world went into closure and tennis tournaments were canceled, Djokovic helped organize an alternative tennis tournament to illustrate to the world that there is no danger in Corona.
Several players were infected, including the Serbian star himself.
When the current Australian Championship arrived - one of four Grand Slam tournaments and a tournament in which Djokovic has won nine times, including the last three years - a problem arose.
The tournament management has determined that only vaccinated tennis players, or those who have recently recovered or recovered, will participate in the tournament.
Djokovic is a vaccine refuser, and was quick to present two documents - a positive PCR test followed by a negative one.
He was granted, like some other athletes, a medical exemption by a special committee, which examined the tests without knowing who the applicant was.
So far exemplary citizenship.
But then things got complicated.
Djokovic was photographed at public events - and posted them on social media at a time when he was allegedly in solitary confinement.
He visited Spain, but stated to the Australian authorities that he had not been outside his country Serbia two weeks before the trip to Australia.
And when he arrived at the airport in Melbourne his visa was revoked on the spot, and he was even sent to a motel where detainees are being held.
Just like a person with a completely mediocre backhand.
The public in Australia is happy to see that one of the most famous people in the world is being treated as one person.
The public in the world is happy to see a country that does not round corners.
Meanwhile, accusations are floating that the corona test that Djokovic performed, or its date, or the negative test after it - are flawed or fake.
But the eagerness of the Australian government had reasons.
Australian elections are imminent - they will be held between the end of February and May.
Australia has an electoral system similar to that of the United Kingdom, and within a specific time window the government dictates the date of the election.
Conservative Scott Morrison's government in trouble.
As of December - as far as can be trusted in the polls - it seems to be up to ten percent behind.
The Djokovic case fell to the government as finding much loot.
The Australian government lagged far behind in obtaining and distributing vaccines, and for a time seemed to have thrown its jab at the non-optimal Astraznica vaccine.
In terms of closures, there were large gaps in the behavior of the various states in the federation: Victoria (where Melbourne is located, where the tennis tournament was held), which is under Labor rule, has adopted very strict restrictions;
Queensland (Brisbane) and New South Wales (Sydney) were relatively easy.
But ironically, and consistent with human nature, the lack of vaccines has increased their popularity, and currently 95% of adult Australians have received at least one vaccine.
Accordion outside prison
Beyond success or failure - the slowness of the vaccination campaign has led to extremely rigid closures.
Australians were in the longest closure in the world.
Melbourne has been in a world record closure of 262 days since March 2020. And the emergence of a vaccine opponent and a serial isolationist is problematic for many.
In August alone, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family was fined tens of thousands of dollars for holding an engagement party without a permit - and this even provoked some antisemitic voices.
The fines were imposed by the local Labor government, and the federal government wanted to show that it was an equally tough cop.
Another major issue in every Australian election campaign in recent generations is immigration.
Basically, the left is often accused of flooding the country with immigrants.
The right is accused of trying to return to "white Australia" policy from less bright days - and of inhumane treatment of refugees and immigrants.
And so Djokovic was taken to a kind of detention / hotel facility, which also housed a refugee who came to Australia when he was 15, and was already celebrating his 24th birthday there.
But the enthusiasm was in its infancy. Immigration police officers denied the tennis player the basic right to consult a lawyer, and sent him with great rejoicing to the same facility. And when the matter came before a local judge, he ruled that he had no need to rule on the right of Djokovic to enter the country and work there for a few weeks as a tennis player - he accepted his request because of the denial of his basic right to representation. The judge asked the government the simple question: "What should Djokovic have done differently?" In the absence of a satisfactory answer - he was released on this technical matter.
Whether the decision is a matter of principle or not - outside the walls of the court, celebrations were recorded among Djokovic's fans.
They played accordions, waved flags and danced to Balkan music.
About 75,000 people of Serbian descent live in Australia, and Djokovic is, of course, a hero to them.
In the past Australian Championships there have even been violent incidents between them and Croatian fans, against the backdrop of a war that took place 15,400 kilometers away.
Police, apparently disappointed in presenting it as an empty vessel, sprayed some of them - Australian citizens most of whom are Australian-born - with pepper spray.
Demonstration of Serbian people in Australia, Photo: Reuters
Belgrade also has politics
The Australian Tennis Association is now under public attack, amid Sydney's desire to move, at least in part, the tournament into its territory.
Melbourne hosts most of Australia's major international sporting events.
The Djokovic affair became a tool for striking.
Djokovic's father called the Australian prime minister a dictator and his son equal to Jesus.
Director Amir Kosturica called the affair "another step towards a world government."
The Serbian government also jumped on the bandwagon, accusing Australia of misleading Djokovic and tempting him to come to Australia to humiliate him.
By the way, Serbia also has elections, in April.
The affair is not over yet: Australia's immigration minister still has draconian authority to deport Djokovic.
This is a right that is controversial these days, but now actually creates pressure on the Minister to use it.
As of this writing - Wednesday - Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke and Prime Minister Morrison are considering whether to deport the tennis player again.
That is, should it be shown to the world that Australia's ministers change judicial decisions, or should the Australian public be perceived as allowing the unvaccinated and not isolated to do in Australia as much as it pleases?
It is doubtful whether they consult doctors, as the political advisers work overtime.
Djokovic is already training in the tournament complex.
If he does play, he will face divided stadiums, angry opponents and hostile media - and these are his favorite starting points.
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