Djokovic arrives in Australia, but visa problem makes entry uncertain

Novak Djokovic arrived in Melbourne this Wednesday (5), at around 23:30 local time (9:30 GMT), but it is still unclear whether he will be able to enter the country and compete in the Australian Open from January 17th.

Amidst the turmoil over the Serbian tennis player’s medical exemption to play in the Grand Slam tournament without being vaccinated against Covid-19, a new problem has arisen.

According to Australian media, a member of Djokovic’s team has applied for a type of visa for entry into the country that does not apply to those who received the vaccine waiver.

After confirming the error, the federal border department contacted the government of Victoria, partner in organizing the tournament, to try to solve the problem while the athlete was flying, but the contact attempt did not receive positive feedback.

“The federal government has asked if we will support Novak Djokovic’s visa application to enter Australia. We will not provide Novak Djokovic with individual support in applying for a visa to participate in the Grand Slam Australian Open 2022,” Victoria Government Minister Jaala wrote on Twitter Pulford.

“We have always been clear on two points: visa approval is a matter for the federal government and medical exemptions are a matter for doctors,” he added.

The two independent medical panels that approved the vaccine waiver for Novak Djokovic are attended by the government of Victoria and Tennis Australia, the country’s sports authority and organizer of the Grand Slam.

The announcement that the world’s No. 1 had received a medical waiver sparked outrage in Melbourne, which has suffered a lengthy lockdown in recent years and where recently an outbreak of the Ômicron variant has driven caseloads to record levels.

In the past 24 hours, the state of Victoria has recorded 17,636 new Covid-19 cases and 11 deaths.

Earlier on Wednesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison suggested that Djokovic’s participation was not yet closed and that he would have to satisfy the federal government with evidence of the reasons for the layoff. This is responsible for borders and international visas and was not part of the process of granting the exemption, responsibility of the state governments.

“If this evidence is insufficient, he will not be treated any differently than anyone else and will be on the next plane home. There should be no special rules for Novak Djokovic. Absolutely none,” Morrison told a news conference.

Morrison, of the Liberal Party, and Prime Minister of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, of the Labor Party, are political opponents and have exchanged accusations on a number of issues. Late last year, they were shocked when Morrison urged governments to interfere less in Australian lives and criticized the state’s pandemic-control measures. Neither of the two leaders, however, gave favorable statements to the Serbian tennis player throughout the soap opera that has been going on for months.

Tennis Australia organizers have stipulated that everyone in the Melbourne Park complex must be vaccinated or exempt to circulate freely in the tournament.

“Novak will not play the Australian Open with exemption because he is the biggest star,” said Pulford earlier. “He’s coming because he’s been able to demonstrate, through this process, that he’s eligible under the rules that apply to everyone else in the country.”

Tennis Australia chief executive and tournament director Craig Tiley said the independent panels consist of doctors from the fields of immunology, infectious diseases and general practice. According to him, all exemptions met the conditions established by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization.

“We completely understand and empathize with people who are upset that Novak has come because of his statements over the past two years about the vaccination,” he said.

Tiley acknowledged that questions will be asked about the exemption and the only person who will be able to answer them is Djokovic. “It would certainly be helpful if Novak explained the conditions under which he sought an exemption, but ultimately it’s up to him.”

According to the organizers, the tournament received 26 requests for vaccine dispensing among about 3,000 participants and some were approved, but the exact number has not been revealed. Most would have been obtained due to coronavirus contamination in the last six months, motivated by the Australian press as the most likely justification for exemption from the number 1 in the world.