New Delhi: Only a day before, everyone thought Novak Djokovic, the World No. 1 tennis player, was going to play in the Australian Open. Most newspapers and news websites ran the story with similar headlines — ‘Djokovic Gets Vaccine Exemption, To Play In The Melbourne Grand Slam’.
Yes, there was a public backlash in Australia over the decision. But no one thought that just a day later, he would be denied permission to enter Australia and play in the Grand Slam but sent back home after Australian authorities were not satisfied with his medical exemption from COVID-19 vaccination.
Not even the tennis star himself. Djokovic wrote in an Instagram post, “I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission,” he wrote. “Let’s go 2022.” The post was accompanied by a photograph of himself at an airport.
Djokovic landed at Melbourne airport on Wednesday night after a 15-hour flight from Dubai, and — to his shock and surprise — was detained by the Australian Border Force (ABF) before Australia announced that it had cancelled the tennis star’s visa to enter the country.
In a statement, ABF said the tennis star had “failed to provide appropriate evidence” to support his exemption from a requirement to be double vaccinated against COVID, The Guardian reported.
The entire episode revolves around Djokovic’s views on why he was against COVID-19 vaccination, though he has not spoken about his vaccination status publicly.
In 2020, Djokovic had said that he wasn’t against vaccines. “My issue here with vaccines is if someone is forcing me to put something in my body. That I don’t want. For me that’s unacceptable. I am not against vaccination of any kind, because who am I to speak about vaccines when there are people that have been in the field of medicine and saving lives around the world? I’m sure that there are vaccines that have little side effects that have helped people and helped stop the spread of some infections around the world,” reports quoted him then.
“How are we expecting that (vaccination) to solve our problem when this coronavirus is mutating regularly from what I understand?”
Happy New Year! Wishing you all health, love & joy in every moment & may you feel love & respect towards all beings on this wonderful planet.
I’ve spent fantastic quality time with loved ones over break & today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let’s go 2022! pic.twitter.com/e688iSO2d4
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 4, 2022
