The web in which Novak Djokovic has been tangled since he landed at Melbourne airport on Wednesday night will keep him isolated, at least, until next Monday. It will be then when, starting at 10 in the morning, the audience starts that should allow to begin to intuit to what extent his defense of the Australian Open title, which begins seven days later, is viable or not. If you can’t enlist, Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev could even snatch number one from you. At the moment, the Serbian player remains locked up in a room at the Park Hotel in the Carlton neighborhood (a hotel for asylum seekers), and there it seems that he will stay despite the request made by the Government of the Balkan country, which through his Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded that he be transferred to another higher-class establishment, where he would not be treated “indecently”. The response to these comments came from Karen Andrews, Australian Home Secretary: “Mr. Djokovic is not a captive in Australia. Is free to go out [del país] the moment you decide to do it. The border forces will surely facilitate it ”.
The different actors involved in the mess continue to cover up as best they can, while pointing out each other. If on Thursday the two letters that the Health department sent to the Australian Tennis Federation, in November, and that alerted of the possibility of invalidating the requests of those who argued not having been vaccinated due to having contracted the virus in the previous six months, were revealed, This episode of the serial had its second part this Friday. Jacinta Allan, Victoria’s interim minister and member of the Labor Party, revealed that this information never reached the government or the players, and blamed Scott Morrison, the prime minister, of the Liberal Party. “I have been told that no such correspondence reached the Victorian government officials,” Allan said. “The role of the Government of Victoria, as the city and state that hosts the tournament, is to organize a safe event. How the people who participate in it enter the country corresponds to the Commonwealth Government, which is the one who issues the visas, “added the executive.
The process that has kept Djokovic in isolation since Thursday has exposed the seams of the political conjuncture of a country that 11 months ago was growing chest for the management that had been made of the pandemic. The images that symbolized Morrison’s success in sealing the island to keep the virus as far away as possible also had tennis as the protagonist. While the whole world lived in fear, locked up and counting the deceased by tens of thousands, the Adelaide tournament filled its stands with the public. None of the spectators captured by the cameras wore a mask.
Not a year after that, the Djokovic case reveals the political gibberish that prevails in Australia, where the six states are practically sovereign, to the point of deciding their access restrictions from abroad. This means that a traveler who arrives in Brisbane (Queensland) on a transoceanic flight will be obliged to do 14 days of quarantine, while if his plane lands in Sydney, he will be free after taking a rapid antigen test that gives a negative result. Although the accumulated number of deaths (2,301), of active cases counted (330,300) and other parameters cannot be compared with other countries, among other things due to the very low existing population density (25.7 million people), the numbers of Thursday They were the worst since the pandemic began, especially in new cases detected (72,357).
In the midst of all the controversy over Djokovic’s visa, the Australian authorities this Friday also canceled the visa for Czech tennis player Renata Voráčová, who will have to return to her country if the country’s immigration authorities do not decide otherwise. At the moment it is unknown if the tennis player, who hopes, like the Serbian, for a decision next Monday, will appeal the decision.
The curiosity is given that Voráčová was already in the country and had even played a preparation match prior to the Australian Open.
Support message from Mirotic
Nikola Mirotic sent a message of congratulations and support to Novak Djokovic. The Barcelona basketball player, born in Podgorica, Montenegro, 30 years ago, wrote on his Instagram account: “On the days when the sky descends to earth and the earth ascends to heaven, dear Novak Djokovic, I want you to be persistent in everything you do and everything you are. It is darkest before dawn and hardest before the dawn of freedom. I wish you good health, tranquility and happiness in the family. And may the light of the birth of Christ illuminate all those minds that dwell in darkness. Peace of God, Christ has been born! ”.
Mirotic and Djokovic greeted each other on December 14 during the match of the 15th day of the Euroleague. The world tennis number one, a native of Belgrade, witnessed the duel between Red Star and Barcelona at the foot of the court at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall. Soon after, Mirotic tweeted: “I always look forward to your victories and our encounters, anywhere in the world. Novak, thank you for the support! ” Jasikevicius was also asked if the Barcelona players had been photographed with Djokovic. “Then I will fine them! Just kidding, ”he replied. “I admire Nole. In fact, I saw his first win at Wimbledon. “
American tennis player John Isner commented on Djokovic’s situation: “Everything he’s going through is not right. There is no justification for the treatment you are receiving. He complied with the rules, they let him into Australia, and now they detain him against his will. It is a shame”. Australian Nick Kyrgios claimed: “Of course I believe that measures must be taken against covid, I was vaccinated for the good of others and for the health of my mother, but they are handling the situation with Novak very badly.”
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