Photo Courtesy of Kevin Palmer
Lily Smith
News Section Columnist
On January 16, 2022, three Australian judges voted to eject Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic from the country and from competing in the Australian Open due to his unvaccinated COVID-19 status. Since then, many disputes regarding the government’s choices have arisen, and Djokovic’s name has been tossed around in just about every news source.
The story began on January 1st, when the director of the Australian open, Craig Tiley, questioned whether there would be problems ahead with Djokovic’s lack of vaccination. However, any uncertainties were dismissed when Djokovic posted a photo of himself at the airport on January 4, heading to Australia with a medical exemption from the vaccine mandate. The company “Tennis Australia” confirmed his exemption, and Djokovic began his trip to Australia.
On January 5, just hours after Djokovic’s arrival in Melbourne, Australian Border Forces rejected his visa because he was not vaccinated. Djokovic argued that he had been infected just a few weeks prior, therefore he had immunity; however, Australian law does not allow any person to enter the country without proof of vaccination, regardless of past infection or a negative test.
Djokovic was sent to an immigrant detention center, where he stayed for four days until January 10th, when he attended a virtual court hearing, and Judge Anthony Kelly reinstated his visa.
While Djokovic was quick to express his gratitude and relief on social media, infuriated Australian citizens took to social media nearly a week later, questioning why Djokovic was allowed to enter unvaccinated and without quarantine when they have been enduring strict COVID measures since the beginning of the pandemic. As a result, Federal Circuit Judges revoked his visa once again, and he was officially pulled out of the Australian Open.
Now, multiple news sources claim that Djokovic is threatening to sue the Australian Government for “ill-treatment.” Djokovic will argue that the quarantine hotel he was detained in had fleas and maggots; he plans to sue for six million dollars.
Considering the extreme controversies that have previously arisen regarding vaccination policies, Djokovic’s ejection enraged many anti-vaxxers.
On the contrary, a recent Instagram post from the tennis star confirms the rumor that he attended an event while he was (knowingly) positive for COVID-19 in mid-December, upsetting many fans. In an attempt to shut down the hate he was receiving online, Djokovic revealed that he attended an interview the day after receiving his positive result, writing, “I felt obliged to go ahead and conduct the L’Equipe Interview… [upon] reflection, this was an error of judgement.”
After much discourse and inconclusive rulings, Novak Djokovic’s case has finally closed, and Italian player Salvatore Caruso was rewarded with his spot in the tournament.
Despite the controversy surrounding Novak Djokovic’s spot at the Australian Open, it has been reported that he will be allowed to compete at the French Open in May—a result of France’s entry requirements which permit entry to those who are unvaccinated and have recovered from COVID within the last six months.
