Djokovic apologizes for COVID bugs, Australian Open visa still in doubt by Reuters

Sonali Paul and Courtney Walsh

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – World No. 1 tennis player and Novak Djokovic, a vaccine opponent, accused him of “human error” in his mistake in Wednesday’s immigration process in Australia and apologized for breaking his isolation when he had COVID-19 last month.

The 34-year-old Serbian superstar is chasing a record in the 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open, which starts on Monday, but could be expelled by a government that is not happy with the medical inoculation exception.

Djokovic was detained with unaccompanied asylum seekers for several days in a Melbourne immigration detention hotel before a judge ruled it unreasonable and released him.

Although he is training for the Melbourne Park Championships, Djokovic could cancel his visa again if Immigration Minister Alex Hawke exercises discretionary power.

Djokovic’s case was not helped by an error in his statement on joining Australia, where the “no” box was marked saying that he had not traveled anywhere else in the previous two weeks.

In fact, he had traveled from Serbia to Spain.

“My support team sent it on my behalf – as I told immigration officials – and my agent is sincerely apologizing for the administrative error,” Djokovic said on Instagram.

“This was a human error and it was certainly not intentional. We are going through difficult times in a global pandemic and sometimes these mistakes can happen.”

Incorrect information on the form entails a 12-month prison sentence plus a fine and a visa revocation.

‘JUDGMENT ERROR’

Djokovic was also saddened by an interview and photo shoot with the French newspaper L’Equipe on December 18, while being infected with COVID-19 for the second time.

“I didn’t want to disappoint the journalist, but I made sure to socially distance myself and wear a mask except when they were taking the picture,” he said.

“After the interview I went home to isolate myself in the time needed, in reflection, this was a judgmental mistake and I accept that I had to reschedule that commitment.”

Djokovic is a poster boy for the “anti-baixers” who are against the vaccination, but in his post he said he would not comment further with respect to the Australian authorities.

“I want to be able to compete against the best players in the world and play against one of the best teams in the world,” he said.

Djokovic’s visa was initially revoked because there was no vaccine, and his medical exemption – based on having a COVID last month – was not satisfactory.

Even though his fans – many of them Serb Australians – gave him noisy help when he was arrested at the hotel and his family is portrayed as a champion of individual rights, he may face hostile hostility when he goes to court.

More than 90% of adults have a double vaccine in Australia, which is battling a wave of the Omicron variant. The city of Melbourne has suffered one of the world’s most severe blockages in the coronavirus pandemic.

Unknown to the discussion, Djokovic was able to see unprecedented outrage this time around, said Craig O’Shannessy, who worked as an analyst.

“Even though he has mental experience and toughness, this may have the potential to be at a level we haven’t seen in tennis,” he told Reuters.

‘BEREKOIA’ DJOKOVIC

There may be resentment in the locker room as well. With the exception of three out of 100 men in the top positions, they include all of them

Joao Sousa, the 140th in the world, who is trying to qualify for the main table this week, called Djokovic “a little selfish” for breaking the rules. “A lot of the players … didn’t want to be vaccinated and they were forced to play tournaments.”

Australian player Nick Kyrgios, a staunch ally of his former antagonist last week, said fuel will be added to the debate if Djokovic is allowed to play.

“He’ll be keen to play well and stick to everyone.”

In his message, Djokovic denied that he also knew that the media reports were contaminated when he attended a tennis event in Belgrade on December 17 to present the awards in Belgrade. Social media showed him posing with children without wearing a mask.

“I was asymptomatic and felt well, and I didn’t receive a positive PCR result notification until after that event,” he said, adding that the rapid antigen test before the event was negative.

However, in an affidavit to an Australian court, Djokovic was diagnosed on December 16, the day before.

With growing awareness around vaccination around the world that governments and doctors are stressing that this is the only way out of the pandemic, Australia’s top-rated TV network has inadvertently exposed its backward passions.

The two West Media anchors caught in an off-air interview condemned Djokovic as cunning and a liar.

Djokovic’s is not the only case that draws attention.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has expressed concern about pairing specialist Renata Voracova, who, unlike the Serb, left Australia after her visa was revoked for the same reason.

Voracova is considering legal action if Tennis Australia does not compensate her for her travel expenses and lost cash prizes.