This is how the network reacts to the event

The refused entry for the Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic causes a lot of malice in the social networks. But his fans also speak up.

A supporter of the Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic is sitting on Thursday with a sign that says “Novak, Thank you!” stands in front of the hotel in Melbourne where Djokovic is said to be staying.

Sandra Sanders / X07313

Novak Djokovic’s attempt to travel to Australia to play the Australian Open will undoubtedly go down as one of the most bizarre episodes in tennis history.

For the tennis player’s father, Srdjan Djokovic, his son is nothing less than a “symbol and leader of the free world”, as he told the media.

Federer as a border official

But many people see it differently. Some users blamed Djokovic’s competitors Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal Schadenfreude:

Or like here the picture of a smirking Federer as a border guard:

While Nadal was of course not smirking like that, he was very clear: “I had Covid, I have been vaccinated twice. If you do, you will have no problem playing here and anywhere in the world. That’s the only thing that’s clear, “said the Spaniard on Thursday in Melbourne.

One user wrote very succinctly: “Well, you don’t play with Corona.”

Some hoped to be able to read when they woke up that Djokovic was actually on the return flight from Australia:

Djokovic’s stay at Melbourne Airport reminds some users of Tom Hanks’ film The Terminal from 2004, when he played a passenger stranded in the transit area of ​​New York’s JFK Airport:

Some scoffed that the island of Manus, which is part of Papua New Guinea, was thrilled to issue Djokovic an unqualified entry permit. The Australian government has set up so-called offshore internment camps for refugees and migrants on Manus:

Many Australian nationals have been banned from entering their homes for months due to entry restrictions, even if they are vaccinated. The fact that Djokovic should now have received a special permit broke the barrel for many, as a BBC journalist sums it up:

Fans and opponents of the vaccination support the player

But for his fans Djokovic is just a victim who was wronged. The Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic made the case a top priority, the Australian ambassador in Belgrade had to show up. “All of Serbia is behind him,” wrote Vucic on Thursday night after a phone call with Djokovic on Instagram. There is also the hashtag #WeStandWithNovak on social media.

Djokovic receives a lot of support from users who are critical of vaccinations:

Some see him as a media scapegoat and speak of the crazy tyranny of the Australians:


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