Novak Djokovic's participation in the Australian Open is a series of twists and turns. The world's number 1 Serbian tennis player landed in Melbourne at 11.30pm (1.30pm Italian time), but federal government officials refused his visa.
This was reported by the Australian newspaper The Age, reporting that Nole was trying to enter the country with a visa that does not allow medical exemptions for not being vaccinated.
At this point the authorities contacted the State Department of Victoria asking them to formally support Djokovic's request, but the latter refused.
"We will not provide Novak Djokovic with support for applying for an individual visa to participate in the Australian Open 2022. We have always been clear on two points: visa approval is the responsibility of the federal government and medical exemptions are the responsibility of doctors." Sports Minister Jaala Pulford said.
Border forces officials still have the discretion to allow the 20-time Grand Slam champion to enter the country.
In short, the situation is in the making, what is certain is that Nole has been stationary at the airport for hours, placed in solitary confinement in a room after being questioned by the Australian border authorities.
The controversy broke out yesterday when Djokovic announced his departure for Melbourne thanks to a medical exemption that allows him to participate in the tournament even if he is not vaccinated. The government of the State of Victoria and Tennis Australia have told the Serb to publicly explain the reasons for the exemption, but Nole has not yet done so, fueling doubts about an alleged favorable treatment of a champion which certainly makes the player more attractive. tournament.
This morning the Australian premier threatened the tennis player to "bring him back with the first plane" in the event of an unjustified exemption. "We are waiting for explanations and for you to provide us with supporting evidence" of this waiver, he said at a news conference. "If this evidence is insufficient, then he will not be treated differently than anyone else and will go home with the first plane. There will be no special rules for Novak Djokovic."
(Unioneonline / L)