Dhe Serbian government said it provided various amenities for Novak Djokovic in the deportation hotel while he was waiting for the decision to stay in Australia. “We managed to get him gluten-free food, get exercise equipment, they gave him a laptop, a SIM card to keep in touch with his family,” said Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, according to Serbian media reports. The politician said that she agreed these improvements for the top athlete, who was housed in a hotel for asylum seekers, with the Australian government.
Djokovic was refused entry at Melbourne Airport on Wednesday evening. From the authorities’ point of view, he was unable to present the necessary documents for a medical exemption to be allowed to enter the country without a corona vaccination. The 34-year-old Serb filed an objection, and a court hearing will continue on Monday morning (local time).
In Melbourne’s Commonwealth Law Courts Building, only around three kilometers from the Rod Laver Arena, it will be decided whether Djokovic will even be allowed to take part in the Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne Park this year. Where the world number one has already triumphed nine times and has played his way into the hearts of Australian tennis fans who are now rather critical of him. If the court rejects its complaint against the denied entry to Australia, the time for a start will be short even if an appeal is possible.
Djokovic’s vaccination status clarified through court records
For days, the tennis scene has only been concerned with the Djokovic case. The tournament victories of Ashleigh Barty and Rafael Nadal on Sunday? At most, they are a side note. Everything revolves around the question of whether Djokovic will still get an entry permit or not.
The lawyers on both sides are fighting hard. The Ministry of the Interior tried on the weekend with a motion to postpone his testimony at the hearing to Wednesday – the reasons for this remained unclear. Judge Anthony Kelly refused, however. It remains at the first showdown on Monday. According to Djokovic (10:00 a.m. local time / 12:00 a.m. CET), the Ministry of the Interior (3:00 p.m. / 5:00 a.m.) should be allowed to clarify its position for up to 120 minutes. When and whether a decision would be made on Monday initially remained unclear.
Both parties can take action against a judgment. The Interior Ministry has already announced that even a decision in favor of Djokovic will not automatically prevent the Serb from being further arrested.
A positive corona test from December 2021 should help Djokovic participate in the first Grand Slam event of the year. The court documents indicate that Djokovic is said to have tested positive for the corona virus for the second time on December 16, 2021. In addition, the page of the 20-time Grand Slam tournament winner states that he received a special permit from the medical director of the Australian Tennis Association on December 30th. Should the facts be confirmed, Djokovic could possibly have had the right to travel to Australia in early January.
Discussion about photos of public appearances
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 he 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 Nadal had their positive tests made public in December.
In addition, photos of Djokovic during appearances ensure discussions that were taken on the day of the specified positive PCR test and the days after. Djokovic at a Serbian Post event where he holds a stamp with his likeness in the cameras. Djokovic with children and adolescents in his tennis academy and Djokovic at a photo shoot for the French sports newspaper “L’Équipe” two days after the positive corona test that has now been launched. Always without masks. In Serbia, a person who tested positive theoretically only has to be quarantined if he has symptoms of illness and an office orders this. It is unclear whether and how this is controlled. The Djokovic case remains dubious and opaque.
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.
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.
After all, his vaccination status has now been clarified. The court documents show that Djokovic stated when questioned by an Australian Border Guard officer that he was “not vaccinated against Covid-19”. Djokovic had been keeping a secret about his vaccination status for months.
Meanwhile, the tournament director of the Australian Open, Craig Tiley, has again rejected criticism of himself and the Australian Tennis Association. “There has been a lot of conflicting information, a lot of conflicting information, and we’ve been looking for clarity from day one to make sure we’re doing the right thing first and getting the players into the country second,” said Tiley. He would still like to see Djokovic “play at the Australian Open,” said Tiley on the Nine Network.
Tennis professional Djokovic is still in quarantine
Tennis star Djokovic is in a quarantine hotel in Australia. Upon entry, the authorities had not recognized his medical exemption for a corona vaccination. He will probably not be able to take part in the Australian Open.
Source: WELT / Dagmar Böhning
Germany’s tennis legend Boris Becker also asked for understanding for Djokovic, with whom he had once worked extremely successfully as a coach. He does not believe that the Serb acted negligently. “He flew to Australia in good faith that he had a valid entry permit. If the papers he received had not been in order, Novak would never have got on the plane. After all, he’s not an idiot. “
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