That means Novak Djokovic’s Australia expulsion for the tennis superstar


published

The Djokovic case has been decided: the Serb is not allowed to take part in the Australian Open. Looking back, there are many losers, above all the world number 1 itself.

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One day before the start of the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic failed to appeal against the cancellation of the visa. A look back at the legal impasse:

AFP

10th of December
10th of December

The deadline for applying for an exemption to participate in the Australian Open is ending – for players who have not been vaccinated against the corona virus. Only fully vaccinated people are allowed to start.

AFP

December 16th
December 16th

The unvaccinated Djokovic attends a Serbian Post event in his home country. In the evening he finds out about his infection. The positive PCR result is in documents that his lawyers later submit to the Australian authorities. According to the rules in Serbia, Covid positives who do not have severe symptoms must be isolated at home for 14 days.

AFP

  • Now it’s definitely: Novak Djokovic is not allowed to participate in the Australian Open.

  • The legal defeat costs the Serbs a lot in sporting and financial terms.

  • Australian politics also did not look good in the Djokovic case.

On January 4th, Novak Djokovic posted a picture on social media. On it you can see: A hopeful Djokovic before his departure for Australia – and a lot of luggage. He wrote: “I’m going down under with a special permit.” Included in the baggage was not only the controversial exemption, which should have allowed the Serbs to enter the country and participate in the Australian Open without any problems. But also a lot of space.

After all, Djokovic would have loved to have taken home his 21st Grand Slam trophy. But instead of the “Norman Brooks Challenge Cup” trophy in his pocket, the world number 1 travels back to Serbia empty-handed. However, the missed opportunity to become the sole Grand Slam record winner is not the only consequence of Djokovic’s legal tug of war over the past ten days. The entry thriller will cost him and many others even more. 20 minutes summarizes.

Record postponed, number 1 in danger

The fact is: Djokovic’s chance to win his 21st Grand Slam title is gone for the time being. Along with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, he currently shares the honor of having 20 major tournament wins. With a win this year in Australia he would have become the sole record holder. So now Djokovic is missing his 10th Melbourne triumph and the question arises as to whether he will miss other important tournaments without being vaccinated. The subsequent editions of the Australian Open are also in danger, especially since you are usually no longer allowed to enter Australia for at least three years after deportation.

Only vaccinated tennis cracks are allowed at the US Masters in Indian Wells and Miami in March, just like at the US Open. While nothing is known about Wimbledon’s corona policy, Djokovic has so far only guaranteed participation in the French Open as an unvaccinated person. Either way: The world number 1 is highly endangered. Should the German Alexander Zverev or the Russian Daniil Medvedev win in Melbourne, they would already dethrone Djokovic. If more tournaments are missed, it would be a matter of time.

Is Djokovic losing sponsorship deals?

In addition to sporting fame, the migration thriller also has financial consequences for Djokovic. Not only is he denied a possible prize money from the Australian Open of up to around three million francs. He also has to pay around half a million francs in court costs and damages. The multimillionaire will be able to cope. More than his sponsors, who should be anything but enthusiastic about the Australia fiasco. Djokovic is now being investigated in several countries. It’s about false information in connection with corona tests, violations of quarantine guidelines and unauthorized travel.

While the authenticity of his controversial Corona certificate from December 16 is still being checked, it is already clear: Djokovic is now a vaccination skeptic worldwide who is not always too precise with the truth. This in turn does not make it the most attractive advertising medium. How long will his sponsors Lacoste, Asics, Peugeot or the Swiss watch brand Hublot watch? After all, it’s about deals of over 27 million francs. Examples of scandals in the past have shown that once the reputation of the icon is gone, the sponsors are gone quickly.

Failed decoy tactic

In addition to Djokovic, Australian politics around Prime Minister Scott Morrison (53) has not exactly covered itself with glory. While fans from Djokovic’s homeland smell the big conspiracy against Serbia, the entry drama surrounding the tennis star was one thing above all: the botched attempt by the counted Australian government to score points with its own population. Former Australian footballer and human rights activist Craig Foster: “You used Djokovic as a decoy to demonstrate tough handling of Corona.” Otherwise they wouldn’t have had to fly him there, says Foster.

But instead of collecting votes for April’s national election, the Morrison government has given the world a glimpse of Australia’s cruel border policies. And millions of Australians are upset: After all, the country recently suffered from a corona lockdown of almost two years. The fact that an exceptional permit was even considered for an unvaccinated tennis star struck many people.

Disaster for Australia’s tennis

The organizers of the Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne have also suffered a lot of damage so far. Instead of world number 1, world number 150 Salvatore Caruso takes part in the Australian Open. The fact that the historic fight against Rafael Nadal for the 21st title does not take place is also a bitter sporting loss – and the field of favorites with Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev is hardly as attractive as with a Novak Djokovic.

In general, the reputation of Australian tennis has suffered. Above all, the Australian association around Australian Open boss Craig Tiley (60), who originally granted Djokovic an exceptional permit to participate. Tennis Australia is accused of misleading players with the information that a recent corona disease was sufficient for a medical exception – and thus entry. Busy tournament boss Craig Tiley has faced calls for his resignation since the case began. In the past few days, the otherwise omnipresent tournament director had disappeared.

Djokovic’s expulsion is regrettable, but the court’s decision must be accepted, ATP practiced diplomatic damage limitation. “Regardless of how this point was reached, Novak is one of the greatest champions of our sport and his absence from the Australian Open is a loss for the game,” the men’s tennis organization said. However, as Rafael Nadal said at a press conference: “No tennis player in history is more important than the event.” Accordingly, Djokovic is no longer in Australia – but the trophy is.

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(see/dpa)





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