Djokovic's dad issues warning to authorities

2 years ago 552

Novak Djokovic is being held successful a country with constabulary retired beforehand aft landing successful Melbourne for the Australian Open, arsenic his begetter issued a informing to authorities amid reports that a visa mix-up could jeopardise the top-ranked Serb's introduction into the country.

Djokovic received a aesculapian exemption to play astatine the archetypal Grand Slam tennis tourney of the season, wherever helium is simply a nine-time victor and the defending champion. The exemption allows him to play careless of his vaccination presumption for COVID-19, thing helium has not disclosed, but helium besides needs to conscionable strict borderline regulations to participate the country.

The top-ranked star's begetter has spoken retired against his treatment, issuing a informing to authorities implicit the visa bungle that has seen his lad being held "captive".

"Novak is presently successful a country which nary 1 tin enter," Djokovic's father, Srdjan Djokovic, told the B92 net portal. "In beforehand of the country are 2 policemen."

"I person nary thought what's going on, they're holding my lad captive for 5 hours," the reported connection says. "This is simply a combat for the libertarian world, not conscionable a combat for Novak, but a combat for the full world! If they don't fto him spell successful fractional an hour, we volition stitchery connected the street, this is simply a combat for everyone."

The Age paper successful Melbourne reported that Djokovic had landed Wednesday earlier midnight section clip astatine Tullamarine Airport, but his introduction was delayed due to the fact that of a mistake with his visa application.

Speculation of a imaginable contented with the visa emerged portion Djokovic was successful transit and escalated with mixed messages from national and authorities lawmakers.

Djokovic's revelation connected societal media that helium was heading to Australia seeking a grounds 21st large rubric sparked immoderate statement and plentifulness of headlines connected Wednesday, with critics questioning what grounds helium could person for the exemption and backers arguing helium has a close to privateness and state of choice.

Australian Open tourney manager Craig Tiley defended the "completely morganatic exertion and process" and insisted determination was nary peculiar attraction for Djokovic.

The Victoria authorities government-mandated that lone afloat vaccinated players, staff, fans and officials could participate Melbourne Park erstwhile the tourney starts connected Jan. 17.

Only 26 radical connected with the tourney applied for a aesculapian exemption and, Tiley said, lone a "handful" were granted.

The names, ages and nationalities of applicants were redacted for privateness reasons earlier each exertion for a vaccine exemption was assessed by 2 autarkic panels of experts, and Tiley noted Djokovic is nether nary work to uncover his crushed for seeking one.

But, helium suggested, it would beryllium "helpful" if Djokovic chose to explicate it to a Melbourne nationalist inactive getting implicit months of lockdowns and terrible question restrictions imposed astatine the tallness of the pandemic.

"I would promote him to speech to the assemblage astir it," Tiley said. "We person been done a precise pugnacious play implicit the past 2 years."

Among the reasons allowed for those applying for a vaccination exemption tin see acute large aesculapian conditions, superior adverse absorption to a erstwhile dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, oregon grounds of a COVID-19 corruption wrong the erstwhile six months.

Jaala Pulford, Victoria state's acting curate for sports, acknowledged successful the Djokovic lawsuit that tons of radical successful the assemblage "will find this to beryllium a disappointing outcome," but added: "Nobody has had peculiar treatment. The process is incredibly robust."

Concerns astir Djokovic's visa presumption took a portion to circulate.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison initially said the aesculapian exemption determination was a substance for the authorities of Victoria, wherever Melbourne is the authorities capital.

"They person provided (Djokovic) with an exemption to travel to Australia, and truthful we past enactment successful accordance with that," Morrison said. "States supply exemptions for radical to participate connected those basis, and that's been happening for the past 2 years."

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews past clarified successful a connection that the Australian Border Force would marque the last determination.

"While the Victorian authorities and Tennis Australia whitethorn licence a non-vaccinated subordinate to vie successful the Australian Open, it is the Commonwealth authorities that volition enforce our requirements astatine the Australian border," Andrews said. "If an arriving idiosyncratic is not vaccinated, they indispensable supply acceptable impervious that they cannot beryllium vaccinated for aesculapian reasons to beryllium capable to entree the aforesaid question statement arsenic afloat vaccinated travelers."

When asked again astir Djokovic's case, Morrison added: "If that grounds is insufficient, past helium won't beryllium treated immoderate antithetic to anyone other and he'll beryllium connected the adjacent level home."

"And truthful if aesculapian exemptions had been provided by aesculapian professionals and that's been furnished to him arsenic a proviso for him to get connected that plane, well, that volition person to stack up erstwhile helium arrives successful Australia," the premier curate said.

Later still, Pulford, the Victoria authorities politician, posted connected Twitter to accidental "the national authorities has asked if we volition enactment Novak Djokovic's exertion to participate Australia."

She said the authorities authorities would not beryllium providing idiosyncratic exertion support, adding successful a 2nd post: "We've ever been wide connected 2 points: visa approvals are a substance for the Federal Government, and aesculapian exemptions are a substance for doctors."

Djokovic tested affirmative for the coronavirus successful 2020 aft helium played successful a bid of accumulation matches that helium organized successful Serbia and Croatia without societal distancing amid the pandemic.

It's imaginable that the 34-year-old Djokovic, who finished 1 triumph abbreviated of a calendar-year Grand Slam successful 2021 erstwhile helium mislaid the U.S. Open last to Daniil Medvedev, could person been infected again.

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