Novak Djokovic steps up to government level

Novak Djokovic’s ability to compete at the Australian Open, the next Grand Slam tournament to be held in early 2023 in Melbourne, depends entirely on the government’s decision. This follows from the words of Australian Open director Craig Thiley, who refused to lobby for the interests of a Serb who was deported from Australia in January due to the lack of a coronavirus vaccine. At the same time, Mr. Thily noted that if the issue is resolved positively, Djokovic will be welcomed to the tournament.

The leadership of the Australian Tennis Federation does not intend in any way to touch upon the issue of issuing a visa to nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic. About this at the official briefing dedicated to the upcoming tournament, declared its director is Craig Teely. “This is not an issue that we can somehow influence. It refers exclusively to the two sides,” Mr. Thily said, referring to the Australian government and Djokovic himself.

Recall that in January the famous Serb, not having a coronavirus vaccination, which at that time was required to cross the Australian border, first with the assistance of Tennis Australia as an exception received visa, arrived in Melbourne and even started training, but after two court hearings was deported from the country. In this regard, Craig Tiley, who was at the center of this scandal, was subjected to serious criticism.

The current statement by Tennis Australia is, in essence, fully consistent with the statement made by the organizers of the US Open at the end of July, about a month before the start of this tournament. Exactly then it became clearthat Djokovic’s chances of playing in New York are minimal, because the US authorities do not allow unvaccinated persons who are not American citizens to enter their country. Now, hard-won Australian sports functionaries have made it clear that they do not intend to influence the solution of a problem that is beyond their competence.

The difference is that back in July, Australians abolished the rule of having mandatory vaccinations for those entering the country. This, however, does not mean that Djokovic will necessarily be granted a visa, since according to the laws of Australia, after deportation, he is prohibited from crossing the country’s border for three years. That is, it all depends on what decision the Australian authorities make. True, first the tennis player himself must apply to Immigration Minister Andrew Giles with a request to review his visa status.

According to Craig Thiley, in mid-September at the Laver Cup in London, he explained his position on this issue to Djokovic and met with understanding. “He said that he would like to return to Australia, but he understands that first there must be a final decision from the federal government,” Mr. Thiley said.

Meanwhile, public opinion in Australia does not have a clear position on whether Djokovic should be allowed into the country. For example, the well-known politician Karen Edryus, who held the post of Minister of the Interior in January, spoke categorically against it in an interview with ABS radio.

“For those Australians who did the right thing and got vaccinated, the decision to open the border for Novak Djokovic just because he is a famous tennis player who has earned many millions of dollars will be a slap in the face,” she said.

In addition to the topic of Djokovic, at the Melbourne briefing, the question of participation in the Australian Open of tennis players from Russia and Belarus was raised. As you might expect, Tennis Australia won’t mind if they play in Melbourne under a neutral flag. Thus, the only Grand Slam tournament that did not allow Russians and Belarusians to participate after the start of events in Ukraine is Wimbledon, whose participants were not awarded rating points by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).

Evgeny Fedyakov