Immigration Minister says Novak Djokovic will be barred entry without vaccination
Immigration Minister says tennis’ top player won’t be allowed entry into the Australian Open unless he is fully vaccinated.
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke says tennis champion Novak Djokovic will not be allowed into Australia unless he is fully vaccinated.
Pursuing a record 21 Grand Slam singles titles, Djokovic’s bid for a tenth Australian Open is in jeopardy after Mr Hawke warned only double vaccinated players would be able to enter the country.
“Our health advice is that when we open the borders everyone that comes to Australia will have to be double vaccinated,” Mr Hawke told ABC’s Radio National breakfast.
The warning comes after the Serbian tennis star refused to reveal his vaccination status, saying it was a “private matter and an inappropriate inquiry”.
Tennis Australia has two weeks to work out how to get Novak Djokovic into Melbourne for the Open.
As things stand, one of the world’s greatest athletes will be locked out of one of the world’s greatest sporting events by the Victorian government because he refuses to reveal whether he’s vaccinated. A global sporting superstar is being recast as a potential superspreader by Premier Daniel Andrews.
“The virus does not care what your tennis ranking is or how many grand slams you’ve won,” he said.
Tennis Australia views the conditions surrounding the tournament as a work in progress but Mr Andrews used his press conference on Tuesday to all but kill off the chances of the king of Melbourne Park being allowed to defend his Open tittle. It’s widely assumed on tour that Djokovic hasn’t been vaccinated.
Players expect TA to outline all health and safety requirements in the first week of November. Mr Andrews may have done it for them. He said no vaccination, or in Djokovic’s case no proof of vaccination, would mean no travel visa to Australia.
The hardline stance will make no sense to Djokovic. He’s contested the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open tournaments this year without needing to get the double-jab.
Professional tournaments in Canada and the US in October have had minimal restrictions.
“I don’t think an unvaccinated tennis player is going to get a visa to come into this country and if they did get a visa, they’d probably have to quarantine for a couple of weeks when no other player has to,” Mr Andrews said.
“AFL players have to be vaccinated but they’re Aussies, they’re not coming from other countries. I don’t think any other tennis player, or golfer, or Formula One driver, will even get a visa to get here.
“I don’t think that’s going to be a relevant issue … it kind of becomes moot. Professional sport is part of that authorised worker list and they have to be double-dose vaccinated.”
Melbourne Park won’t be the same without Djokovic. The world No. 1 has won nine titles inside Rod Laver Arena.
Love him or loathe him, he provides theatre, controversy and intrigue. He’s meant to be chasing a men’s record of 21 grand slam singles titles in Melbourne next year.
His absence will be felt.
“Things being as they are, I still don’t know if I will go to Melbourne,” Djokovic told the Serbian daily Blic on Monday.
“I will not reveal my status whether I have been vaccinated or not, it is a private matter and an inappropriate inquiry.
“People go too far these days in taking the liberty to ask questions and judge a person.
“Whatever you say, ‘Yes, no, maybe, I am thinking about it’, they will take advantage.”
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