Novak Djokovic News LIVE: Tennis star issues statement on threat of deportation from Australia

Former Australian Open general manager Paul McNamee said: “For those who request it, all players go through the same visa process overseen by Tennis Australia to play at the Australian Open ( as non-Australians are currently not able to enter).

“So it boggles the mind that Djokovic is the only player who got his visa and then canceled.”

Australia continues to suffer from record cases of Covid due to the Omicron strain of the virus.

And although Thursday’s tally remains incomplete, Australia reported 72,392 new infections to surpass the previous total 24 hours earlier at 64,774.

Cases have remained low due to aggressive lockdowns in the early stages of the pandemic, but the country is now experiencing a greater spread of the virus than many other parts of the Asia-Pacific region.

US Open champion Daniil Medvedev has resisted the opportunity to take sides in the debate over Novak Djokovic’s visa situation ahead of the Australian Open.

The Russian will be propelled to the No.1 seed if Djokovic steps down due to visa issues and maintains he is just focusing on himself at the moment.

“If he had a fair exemption from the rule, well, he should be here; if he didn’t, he shouldn’t be here, ”Medvedev said.

“It sounds easy, but it seems very difficult in real life, and I don’t know the inside of the story, which is why I am just focusing on myself.”

“One of the things the Border Force does … is act on intelligence to bring its attention to potential arrivals,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Sky Sports News.

“When people make public statements about what they say they have, what they are going to do and what their demands are, they draw a lot of attention to themselves.

“Anyone who does this, be it a celebrity, a politician, a tennis player, a journalist, anyone who does this, can expect to be asked questions. more questions than the others before you come. “

Rafael Nadal’s uncle and coach Toni Nadal has joined the debate over Novak Djokovic, admitting he is surprised the Serbian has yet to be vaccinated after trying to play the Australian Open.

“I must admit that until Tuesday’s announcement, I thought that the Serbian player would give up participating in the tournament, or that the vaccine would be inoculated,” says Toni Nadal in his column El Pais.

“There are nearly six million people who have lost their lives to this damn virus and many more millions who have received the vaccine.

“I want to think that Novak is no stranger to all of this and that he will dispel doubts as a sign of human sensitivity and understanding.”

Sports writer Tom Kershaw:

In the same vein as his infallible domination of tennis, Novak Djokovic has rarely left anything to qualify. In the world of sports, he has been presented either as an unstoppable heir or as a cold iconoclast, in the relentless pursuit of records. In matters of medical health, the twenty-time grand slam champion’s de facto second court, his reputation as a conspirator or – at least in his own eyes – as a martyr has always been a little more self-inflicted.

And as the drama and diplomacy of Djokovic’s purgatory in Melbourne continues to unfold, with the Serbian’s detention at the Park Hotel now extended until Monday, it’s hard not to feel like we are bubbling over to an eruption. like this for years. Djokovic’s life has always been built on stubborn self-confidence, providing immense success and regularly provoking controversy, especially during the pandemic. Eventually, however, there must have been a flashpoint where the 34-year-old’s highly questionable beliefs collided with reality and still did not result in triumph.

Of course, there is still no absolute clarity as to whether Djokovic will be allowed to compete in the Australian Open. After eight hours at Melbourne Airport on Wednesday, his father, Srdjan, said his son was “the Spartacus of the new world” and “he is like water and water makes its own way” . Illusions of grandeur are apparently hereditary, but there is no doubt that Djokovic is used to doing what he wants.

Novak Djokovic’s mother, Dijana, called her son’s situation over a canceled visa “not humane”.

“I feel bad since yesterday that they keep him as a prisoner. It is not fair. It’s not human. I hope he wins, “Djokovic’s mother said.

She also confirmed that she spoke to him briefly by phone from Belgrade. She added: “Horrible, horrible accommodation. It’s just a small immigration hotel, if it’s a hotel at all.

Former Yugoslavia Davis Cup coach Radmilo Armenulic said Novak Djokovic had been treated “like a criminal” and called the situation an “extraordinary scandal”.

“They detained him in the presence of the police. He was held in a room for eight hours after being cleared to compete in the Australian Open by the medical panel, ”Armenulic told Reuters.

“This decision, in my opinion, reflects anarchy and not the rule of law. They treated Novak like a criminal and a villain to prevent him from winning his 21st Grand Slam.

Novak Djokovic was told by Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce that he would be kicked out if he did not tell the truth.

The Serb is currently in immigration detention after he was refused entry and his visa revoked.

Joyce told the BBC that “the rich cannot roam the world thinking … that they are above the law”.

He added, “If he hasn’t filled out the forms properly, then he’s taking another nation’s sovereign ability for a joke. 100% someone made a mistake and if they didn’t tell the truth then the person who made the mistake is Mr. Djokovic.

In April 2020, Djokovic said he was opposed to vaccines. He then clarified that he was “not an expert” but that he wanted to explore other options. During an event on Facebook, he said he “wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to get the vaccine” to get to tournaments, and that he was “curious about the welfare and how we can get our metabolism in the best shape to defend against impostors like Covid-19.

Djokovic has a questionable science background. He asserted before positivity could cleanse the water, saying, “Scientists have proven that molecules in water respond to our emotions.” He also wrote in his book that a doctor pointed out a weakness in his arm while holding a loaf of bread that was supposedly evidence of gluten intolerance. His wife Jelena has been hit with a disinformation tag on Instagram after posting a 5G conspiracy theory.