Novak Djokovic rejected by Australia: the decision on Monday

To be good, it can be defined as a very badly played game that is becoming a low-level soap opera. Novak Djokovic the match against Australia is not played on a tennis court, but in court. The Serbian tennis player is no longer in the isolation room where he was transferred upon arrival at the airport when the visa he had presented to enter the country was not considered valid. During the Italian night he was transferred to a quarantine hotel, the Park Hotel in Melbourne, where he does not have the opportunity to train.

Here he will wait for the decision of the judge to which his lawyers have appealed. The hearing is set for 10 am Australian on Monday 10 January, midnight between Sunday and Monday in Italy. The judge must decide on the validity of the documentation presented which includes the medical exemption obtained by Djokovic in order to participate in the tournament.

The tennis player was on the flight from Dubai to Melbourne when the Tullamarine customs opened the file with the documentation sent from Belgrade. The documentation was not deemed sufficient and Djokovic ended up in solitary confinement as in an episode of Airport Security. Nole remained at the airport for hours with no way of communicating with the outside world. Then came the news of the expulsion and then that of the passage to a hotel, those for those who enter the country illegally, pending the decision on the appeal of the federal court of Judge Anthony Kelly.

His lawyers have until 2pm on Saturday to bring evidence for their client. The officials of the Ministry of the Interior until 20 on Sunday. The tennis player’s lawyers have also asked to be able to transfer him to a hotel where he can train. Under the one he is in are demonstrators with Serbian flags in his favor.

The state of Victoria, whose capital is Melbourne, has given a green light that is not shared by the Australian federal government responsible for visas. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the rules apply to everyone. If Djokovic can participate in the tournament, given themedical exemption, this does not apply to entry into the country. There is privacy on medical documents, but the only possible exception that seems valid for the tennis player’s participation in the tournament is having had Covid in the last six months, which is not enough for entry into the country. On the other hand, the Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic talks about mistreatment of Djokovic and his entire country. The father of the champion says instead that the son is fighting a battle for the whole world.

The medical exemption came through two independent medical boards, it is not a visa and the one presented by Djokovic is not considered valid.It is valid for entering the country that has had one of the longest lockdowns in the world, over 260 days and very strict rules, always, on entry. It doesn’t seem to apply to either public opinion which immediately arose when the nine-time winner here posted a picture of his departure to the other end of the world.

In the post Djokovic was talking about exemption permission. His departure had been in doubt for weeks as Australia asks for the vaccine from those who enter and he has never declared his vaccination status. To most, it seemed an exception except for the first player in the world, even if there are other tennis players who were admitted with exemptions from vaccination (less than 5 out of the 26 requests presented). Among the many colleagues he also expressed his opinion Reef Nadal: «It is normal for people here in Australia to be annoyed, because they have had to go through tough lockdowns. The only thing I can say is that I believe in people who know medicine: if they say we have to get vaccinated, we have to get vaccinated. The world has suffered too much for not following the rules».