Australia Deporting Novak Djokovic?

The former World no.1 seems to have run into some trouble with the Australian authorities as he entered the Island Continent with a Medical Exemption from the Australian Open to defend his title in the first grand slam of the year.

The Serbian travelled to Australia on Tuesday and yesterday was halted at the airport’s security offices. The situation currently is that Djokovic was given medical exemption to defend his title in Australia and probably play without being fully vaccinated against the risky Covid-19 virus. He then travelled to Australia but with fan, critic and peer backlash over the AO allowing him to play without being vaccinated the pot was stirred. 

As soon as he reached the airport in Melbourne, he was held there as his exemption was verified and the country’s relevant authorities were called. The Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morisson has come out and said, “When you get people making public statements – of what they say they have, and what they are going to do, and what their claims are – well they draw significant attention to themselves.”

The Prime Minister has made a point to clear out and say that his decisions are not based on pointing out Djokovic alone or due to any relations with Serbia but because of the rules established under these tough times. 

As Djokovic fails to meet the requirement to enter Australia, he has been held at a hotel near the airport in Melbourne in quarantine and is under the process of deportation from the country. Following this, 2 more exemptions given out for the ongoing tennis season in Australia have been forwarded for review.

With Djokovic commenting in April that he does not believe in the vaccination and would not like to get jabbed in order to travel, it hardly seems like the Serb has changed his mind and would be willing to get vaccinated in order to make it to the other grand slams of the year.

With Djokovic out of the Australian Open, all eyes will be on the likes of Tsitsipas, Medvedev and the returning 20 time grand slam winner, Rafael Nadal.