Novak Djokovic gets clarity on Australian Open participation as Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley discusses the Serb’s ban
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Craig Tiley and Novak Djokovic
World No. 7 Novak Djokovic continues to pick up titles on the Tour despite having missed quite a lot of action this season. Having started the year with deportation in Australia, Djokovic missed nearly 45 days of action during the North American swing due to his decision to remain unvaccinated against Covid-19.
As the tennis world looks forward to the next Grand Slam, the 2023 Australian Open, Djokovic remains banned from the competition till 2025 following his deportation at the start of the year. However, with the rules being relaxed for Covid-19 with a decline in cases, there remains a slim ray of hope for participation for Djokovic.
“I do know he’d like to return to the AO. He’s the nine-time champion and of course, we always want the best players in the world to compete. It’s a matter between him and the relevant federal authorities,” said Craig Tiley, CEO of Tennis Australia, speaking with Sky Australia.
Ministers in Australia continue to oppose allowing Novak Djokovic into the country
Djokovic would have woken up to some discouraging news as Australian Home Minister Karen Andrews made a clear stance on disallowing the Serb into the country. Speaking with ABC Radio, Andrews said allowing Djokovic is a “slap on the face” for all the vaccine takers.
“There would have been other people in similar circumstances that have also had their visas cancelled. So if immigration now chooses to make a special allowance for Novak Djokovic the obvious question is what are they going to do about anyone else who may be in similar circumstances?” said Andrews.
While the sports fan within Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said, “As a tennis lover, I’d love to see him there,” he was quick to admit that allowing a global icon like Djokovic could raise a serious question about their immigration system as it would look unfair for the common citizens.
“But the most important thing here is that we protect the integrity of our immigration system. The rules about coming into Australia have changed, you don’t have to be vaccinated anymore. If they decide that he can come, they’ve got to do so in making that decision in a way to protect the integrity of our immigration system,” added Tehan speaking with Sky News Australia as well.
With more than 3 months to go before the start of the Australian Open, Djokovic can do nothing but wait and watch as things unfold. On other hand, he is preparing himself quite brilliantly having won back-to-back titles on the Tour in Tel Aviv and Astana over the past fortnight.
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Sarthak Shitole
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