Failing to be able to present health documents in order, Novak Djokovic has been detained for three days near Melbourne airport by the Australian immigration services. His participation in the long-awaited tournament is hypothetical for the time being.
No one can substitute for the imperatives of the fight against Covid-19. Not even the best tennis player in the world, however prestigious. Next Monday is to begin the Australian Open, the flagship grand slam tournament which will inaugurate the year 2022. Problem: to participate, the stars of the little yellow ball are supposed to be forced to present an up-to-date health pass. Benoît Paire almost gave it up following a new recent contamination which moreover plunged him into a mad rage. As for Novak Djokovic, who was hostile to vaccination without confirming that he had never been subjected to it, it is another kettle of fish.
Novak Djokovic detained for three days by Australian immigration
The world number 1 still traveled to Melbourne, believing that his status would allow him to slip through the cracks. Except that the Australian authorities put a stop sign to the Serbian when he arrived at the airport. Although he obtained from the Australian Federation, organizer of the tournament, a medical exemption after the intervention of several medical experts, the authorities of the country refused him access to the territory by withdrawing his visa, for lack of normally accepted documents. This is how he finds himself blocked for three days by the immigration services in a detention hotel. A place “infamous in the literal sense of the word”, cursed the Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic, giving the case a diplomatic dimension.
The Serb warmly thanks his fans for their unwavering support
The player has appealed against his ban. And after a long silence, he ended up speaking publicly. In Instagram story, Novak Djokovic writes: “Thank you to everyone around the world for showing me their continued support. I can feel and appreciate it greatly.”. His wife Jelena also took to social media to thank people who communicate love to her. She confided in particular taking “a deep breath to calm down and find gratitude right now for everything that is going on”.