Melbourne (dpa) – A positive corona test from December 2021 should apparently help Novak Djokovic to participate in the Australian Open.
At least his lawyers seem to want to try this way in the hearing before a court in Melbourne, which is scheduled for Monday, to overturn the refusal of entry for the world ranking first one week at the start of the Grand Slam.
According to the documents, which were reported by several media outlets on Saturday, Djokovic is said to have tested positive for the corona virus for the second time on December 16, 2021. Should the facts be confirmed, Djokovic could possibly have had the right to travel to Australia in early January.
He was refused entry on Wednesday evening (local time) because he was unable to produce the necessary documents for a controversial medical exemption. Since then he has been staying in a hotel for people obliged to leave the country. The court in Melbourne wants to decide on Monday morning (10 a.m. / 12 a.m. CET) whether Djokovic has to leave the country or stay and participate in the Australian Open, which begins on January 17th. There he would start as the defending champion.
Numerous inconsistencies
However, there are still numerous inconsistencies in the Djokovic case. So the question arises why he didn’t make it public earlier that he was infected with the corona virus for the second time. For the first time, the 34-year-old tested positive for the corona virus during his heavily criticized Adria Tour in June 2020. At that time, Djokovic himself published the result. Not this time. Other professionals such as Rafael Nadal had their positive tests made public in December.
In addition, photos of Djokovic sparked discussions during a public appearance, where he also appeared on December 16 at an event organized by the Serbian Post. During the performance, he proudly holds a stamp with his likeness in the cameras. Masks are not worn in the photos. In addition, photos are circulating on social media that apparently show him the day after without a mask with young people and children. However, it is unclear whether Djokovic already knew about his positive corona test at this point in time.
There are also inconsistencies around the question of when exactly Djokovic submitted his application for a special permit. According to the regulations, the applications had to be submitted by December 10th. The positive test six days later could not have had any influence on this.
Secret about vaccination status
Djokovic has been keeping a secret about his vaccination status for months. In the past, however, he has repeatedly appeared as a vaccine skeptic. And in the case of a vaccination, he would not have needed a special permit.
There are still no public statements on the subject from Djokovic himself. On Friday, the Serb spoke briefly on Instagram and thanked his fans for the support. In front of the hotel, compatriots repeatedly express their solidarity with their idol. Otherwise, the tennis star does not want to comment because of the ongoing proceedings, it was said from his close environment.
Meanwhile, the tournament director of the Australian Open, Craig Tiley, has defended his staff against criticism. You did an “incredible” job, Tiley said. Nevertheless, he and the organizers of the first Grand Slam tournament are also coming under increasing criticism, as many questions are still unclear.
The Czech Renata Voracova, who has since left Australia, also criticized her. The Australian Tennis Association misled them about the entry requirements. “I did everything that was asked of me,” she told the Prague newspaper “MF Dnes” (Saturday). Nevertheless, the doubles player as well as Djokovic had the visa withdrawn.
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