The drama in the ongoing dispute involving Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open earlier this year was thick and fast, starting when the Serbian star arrived into Melbourne on December 16 requesting a vaccine exemption due to a positive PCR test result.
Border agents turned down his exemption, claiming that a recent ailment did not qualify, tore up his visa, and detained him. However, Djokovic’s high-powered legal team successfully overturned the visa decision in court due to a procedural issue with his airport interview.
Many Australians were outraged by Djokovic’s decision to withdraw from the Australian Open, and his visa was eventually revoked for the second time, preventing him from competing in the tournament.
However, as the year’s next grand slams approach, the All England Club of Wimbledon has stated that Covid vaccines will not be required to compete in this year’s tournament.
There will be no coronavirus limitations this time, and Djokovic, a 20-time Grand Slam winner who has stated that he is not inoculated, will be able to compete at the French Open.
The 2018 Wimbledon Championships will be held from June 27 to July 10.
Djokovic recently went out for the first time since his deportation, telling the BBC that he should not be identified with the anti-vax movement, but that he supported an individual’s right to choose.
Asked if he would sacrifice taking part in competitions such as Wimbledon and the French Open over his stance, he replied: “Yes, that is the price that I’m willing to pay.”
“I was never against vaccination,” he told the BBC, confirming that he’d had vaccines as a child, “but I’ve always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body.
“I was never against vaccination. I understand that globally, everyone is trying to put a big effort into handling this virus and seeing, hopefully, an end soon to this virus.”
The Serbian star also went into greater detail about his time in custody in Melbourne, insisting that his medical exemption had nothing to do with it.
“I was really sad and disappointed with the way it all ended for me in Australia,” he said. “It wasn’t easy.”
“Absolutely, the visa declaration error was not deliberately made. It was accepted and confirmed by the Federal Court and the minister himself in the Ministry for Immigration in Australia.
“So actually, what people probably don’t know is that I was not deported from Australia on the basis that I was not vaccinated, or I broke any rules or that I made an error in my visa declaration. All of that was actually approved and validated by the Federal Court of Australia and the Minister for Immigration.
“The reason why I was deported from Australia was because the Minister for Immigration used his discretion to cancel my visa based on his perception that I might create some anti-vax sentiment in the country or in the city, which I completely disagree with.”
A video of two Australian television presenters launching a foul-mouthed hot mic diatribe about the World No. 1 tennis player surfaced before to the Australian Open.
Maddern’s co-host referred to the Serbian as a “asshole” who had “fell over his own f***ing falsehoods.”
You can watch the video and comments made about Djokovic below: