Djokovic wanted to take the absolute record of 21 Grand Slam titles at the tournament in Melbourne, which starts on Monday. But from that dream, Secretary Hawke wakes the unvaccinated tennis player hard. Djokovic can still appeal against Hawke’s decision, but according to Australian media, the chance of success is small.
Hawke’s decision came after the tennis tournament organizers included Djokovic in the draw earlier in the day, despite uncertainty over his stay. The draw determined that Djokovic had to face his compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic in the opening round. Prime Minister Scott Morrisson also emphasized that Australia’s strict admission policy had not changed. This stipulates that visitors must prove that they have been vaccinated twice.
On arrival in Australia, the 34-year-old tennis player was stopped by customs last Thursday because he could not demonstrate why he had a ‘medical exemption’ from the strict entry rules. Djokovic was subsequently detained in a quarantine hotel.
In principle, Australia only allows travelers who are fully vaccinated, but for this grand slam tournament an exception could be made for tennis players. The unvaccinated Djokovic was under the impression that he had met all the conditions for such an exceptional position. After a letter from the Australian tennis association, Djokovic thought that a previous corona infection gave him an exemption from the vaccination obligation.
It was only at the airport in Melbourne that Djokovic discovered that the tennis association had misinformed him. According to the government, a recent infection was not a reason for a medical exemption. Djokovic’s visa was subsequently revoked.
On Monday, the judge ruled in an appeal filed by Djokovic that the government should not have done so. The judge couldn’t think of what else Djokovic “could have done” to show that his medical exemption was in order. In addition, Djokovic was given too little time to respond to the withdrawal of his visa.
Documents released by the court, including the statement that Djokovic made under oath, became definitively clear that the tennis player has not been vaccinated. In recent months, he did not want to make any statements about this: he thought it was a personal matter. Djokovic has always spoken out against vaccinations.
The Australian Open starts on Monday, January 17. On Tuesday, the organization announced that Djokovic is leading the placement list in the men’s singles. Last year he won the tournament for the ninth time. If he also manages to do that a tenth time, he will win a total of 21 Grand Slam titles. That would make him the new male world record holder. Currently, Djokovic as well as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have 20 titles to their name.