Anti-vax tennis star put before ordinary Victorians

Allowing a millionaire anti-vax tennis star to play is a slap in the face to unvaccinated Victorians who have been barred from enjoying their own state.

Novak Djokovic being allowed into the state is a slap in the face to Victorians. Picture: Joe Klamar

Premier Daniel Andrews’ hard line on vaccine mandates is a total farce following the listing of anti-vaxxer tennis player Novak Djokovic for the ATP Cup.

This makes it likely he’ll be in the line-up for the Australian Open here in January.

So much for the Premier’s insistence that no unvaccinated players will be welcomed here.

The borders of this state are open for star tennis players pulling in big crowds, but not the unvaccinated or 30,000 others seeking to care for family members or access medical treatment.

Unvaccinated Victorians barred from working and attending many venues around the state should pick up a tennis racquet.

Sporting prowess and global fame appear to opens doors to the unvaccinated.

The hundreds of millions of dollars in profits flowing to Tennis Australia matter more than the rights of ordinary Victorians to earn a living.

Andrews has allowed himself to be played by Tennis Australia, whose medical exemption to Covid vaccines is much less stringent than those adopted by the Victorian government.

Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley says Australian health officials have to grant the exemption, but according to whose rules?

Victoria’s rules are based on federal guidelines which says nothing less than anaphylaxis to a previous dose of the same vaccine or a component of the vaccine, history of myocarditis linked to vaccines or history of capillary leak syndrome and a small number of similar blood conditions involving clotting.

That’s it.

But Tennis Australia has its own list of medical exemptions, which are much more lenient than ours.

Specifically, players who “have a history of allergic reaction” to the vaccine, or had a “serious adverse event” linked to the first dose.

Or if a player has an “acute medical condition” or suffers from an inflammatory cardiac illness.

Of course, there is a chance that Djokovic is vaccinated, but if so, why not just say so?

Tennis Australia’s greed has ensured this controversy will overshadow the January event, but it’s got no one to blame but itself.

Victorians, who have been subjugated and subjected to some of the most draconian rules in the world, are not sympathetic to the plight of a millionaire anti-vaxxer.

Who cares about Djokovic’s record-breaking historic singles titles?

Not us. We care more about what’s fair and what’s right.