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Djokovic saga - 19th January 2022
The annual Australian Open kicked off in Melbourne, but the defending male champion is out of the season. Instead, this year's Open sees Novak Djokovic and Australian authorities clashing.
With the Australian tennis authorities granting Mr Djokovic exemption from Australia's stringent Covid-19 travel mandates requiring full vaccination on entry, the Serbian player landed on 5th January.
Djokovic claimed he had Covid-19 back in December, which meant not receiving vaccination prior to travelling.
Nevertheless, immigration minister Alex Hawke had Djokovic's visa revoked upon discovering he didn't disclose that he'd been to other countries 10 days prior to landing in Australia.
A short but intense volley of court cases ensued, with the first hearing ending favourably granting Djokovic release from isolation to train for his upcoming tournament.
Soon thereafter, the Australian government hit back with an appeal, in which Djokovic was sent packing after the court overruled the previous verdict, deporting him from Australia.
Granting Djokovic exemption and allowing him to stay was viewed as possible fuel to the local anti-vaxx protests. Meanwhile, the opening day of the tournament saw spectators focused squarely on the games.
Sarah Wals: "I think it's just better for everyone and people can focus on the tennis now, not on unvaccinated players."
Nevertheless, tennis enthusiasts remain undecided about the Djokovic saga.
Tom Crvenkovic: "Did he embarrass Australia? We stuffed up too. We didn’t handle it perfectly. I think both sides are to blame."
Instead of smashing the world record and claiming his 21st Grand Slam championship, Djokovic has been met with a possible three year ban from Australia.
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