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The tennis world number one Novak Djokovic
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MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP
Shortly after landing in Melbourne, the already turbulent story of tennis superstar Novak Djokovic and his vaccination status at the Australian Open became even more curious.
Despite his controversial medical exemption for the start of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, the border guards initially refused entry to the allegedly unvaccinated Serb because his visa was probably invalid.
According to the media, the documents submitted by Djokovic did not provide for medical exemptions for unvaccinated people.
The therefore contacted authorities of the Australian state of Victoria refused to support the world number one, who was stuck at the airport until Thursday night.
His son is currently being held in a guarded room, his father Srdjan Djokovic told the Internet portal B92 on Wednesday.
"Novak is currently in a room no-one can enter," he said.
"Two policemen are standing in front of the room."
Even before the arrival of the 34-year-old, there had been outrage about the exception permission granted for Djokovic on Tuesday.
You care for "anger and confusion," as the broadcaster ABC called it.
Other comments ranged from "slap in the face for all Australians" to "slap in the face for millions of Australians".
Tournament director Craig Tiley defended the controversial decision, but asked the 20-time Grand Slam winner to give his reasons.
The tournament starts on January 17th in Melbourne.
Only players who have been double-vaccinated against the coronavirus or who have received a medical exemption are allowed to take part.
On Tuesday, Djokovic announced after weeks of silence that he would now fly to Australia thanks to precisely such a special permit.
He has not yet made his vaccination status public.
Political pressure
Given the hype surrounding Djokovic's start, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for sufficient evidence for the medical exception: "He must do this because if he is not vaccinated, he must provide acceptable evidence that he cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, to get access to the same travel rules as fully vaccinated travelers, ”said Morrison.
Otherwise Djokovic would be "on the first plane home".
Home Secretary Karen Andrews said, "Anyone entering Australia must adhere to our strict border rules." Victoria state government and Tennis Australia could allow an unvaccinated player to enter the tournament, but the border rules would be governed by the national government supervised.
Tournament boss demands answers from Djokovic
The tournament boss Tiley tried to dispel allegations that the best tennis player in the world had different rules than the general public.
The permit was granted after a strict review by two independent expert bodies.
Djokovic made a "completely legitimate application" and went through the necessary process.
At the same time, however, Tiley asked Djokovic to reveal the reasons.
“I would like him to speak to the community.
I would appreciate the answers, ”Tiley said.
26 professionals or supervisors would have applied for an exemption, only a handful actually received it.
Djokovic has already won the Australian Open nine times and wants to compete as the defending champion.
If he won, he would leave his rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal behind with Grand Slam triumph number 21.
mey / sid
