Updated:
Keep
Novak Djokovic is free to move around Australian lands. The Serbian, the world’s number one tennis player, has even been able to train at the Melbourne Park facilities ahead of the start of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season. However, his peace of mind cannot be complete yet, as the situation could turn around in the next few hours. Australian immigration minister Alex Hawke still has the possibility to use his powers to deport the Serbian player if he considers him a threat to the health security of his citizens. The latest news from Oceania places the final decision on next Wednesday.
The delay in finally deciding whether Djokovic can stay in Australia and participate in the tournament could be due to the analysis of new evidence surrounding your case.
Specifically, a possible lie in the Serbian’s statement to Australian customs officials, and the irregularities in the documentation presented to justify his exemption to be able to enter the country without being vaccinated against the coronavirus.
After the Serbian tennis player’s family explained the circumstances of his arrest, in the last hours several Australian media highlighted that Djokovic was able to lie in the answers to his statement when he arrived in the country. The number one of the ATP would have answered “no” to the question about whether he had traveled in the previous 14 days upon arrival in Australia. But the indiscreet social networks would have exposed their explanations.
After the assumption positive of December 16 Novak Djokovic participated in various public events in Belgrade. His last images in the Serbian capital date from December 25. However, there are photos that show that on the 31st of that same month he was in Marbella. That shows that the world’s number one passed through Spain before traveling on January 4 to Melbourne, and that he lied in the statement to Australian officials.
A mistake, intentional or not, that can complicate Djokovic’s stay in Australia. Judge Anthony Kelly, who reversed the decision to void Djokovic’s visa, argued that the tennis player had not been given enough time to respond. And he added that border officials breached an agreement to give him until 8.30 am. to speak to the Australian Tennis Federation and their lawyers. Before the Melbourne airport authorities, Djokovic confessed that he had passed the coronavirus on two occasions, the last one on December 16, which for Kelly was sufficient justification for having an exemption from vaccination. But the contradiction in the Serbian’s statement could give a new twist to the case.
To this possible lie of Djokovic are added also certain irregularities in the documentation you submitted to justify your exemption. According to the German newspaper ‘The mirror‘and the journalist of’New York Times‘Ben Rothenberg, there are doubts with a QR code on your papers. They assure that at first scanning it led to a negative result, while doing so in the last hours would lead to a positive result, coinciding with the Serbian’s confession that he had contracted Covid-19 on December 16.
Asked about these alleged irregularities in Novak’s documents and statements, the tennis player’s relatives did not want to answer why he had attended a ceremony of his Foundation in Belgrade on the 17th. In fact, his brother Djordje ended the family press conference at that time.
Defenders and detractors
Meanwhile Djokovic, who continues to train in Australia, just shared a couple of messages through the social network Twitter. In them he was grateful to those who had shown their support and explained that “despite everything that has happened, I want to stay and try to compete in the Australian Open.”
The momentary resolution of the case, pending the final decision of the Australian immigration minister, has provoked multiple reactions, from the world of sports to politics.
Victoria’s Prime Minister Daniel Andrews, for example, harshly criticized Djokovic, winking at Rafa Nadal: “I think Rafa and many others have maintained a very clear position. The tournament is much bigger than one person. It is a Grand Slam, the biggest tournament in tennis in the first quarter of the year and every year. He is bigger than a single person, on the court and off it.
Other politicians, however, defended the Serbian tennis player’s participation in the Australian Open. This is the case of John Alexander, a member of the Liberal Party of the coalition government and a former professional tennis player, who defended that deporting Djokovic would mean bad news for the Australian Grand Slam, which would be significantly devalued.
Australian public welcome
For its part, the ATP, Association of Professional Tennis Players, defended Djokovic. He requested the need for “a clearer understanding and communication of the rules”, but at the same time recalled his position in favor of the vaccination of all professional tennis players.
Tennis players such as Rafa Nadal or Feliciano López were satisfied this Monday with the Australian court’s resolution on the visa of the world’s number one, without going too far into the Serbian’s anti-vaccine stance. However, other tennis players like the Hungarian Fucsovics were more forceful, stating that “there are rules that were established months ago that everyone should be vaccinated and Djokovic did not. From this point of view, I don’t think I have the right to be here. ”
There are even voices like that of former American player Pam Shriver, who warn that the Australian public may take its toll on Djokovic: «If he plays, the boos will be deafening».
The start of the Australian Open is scheduled for January 17. Djokovic aspires to conquer him for the tenth time in his career and become the tennis player with the most Grand Slam titles in history with 21, ahead of the 20 that Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer have.
www.abc.es
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism