January 05, (THEWILL) – Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has said that unless Novak Djokovic can prove he has a legitimate medical exemption, he would be “on the next plane home” from the Australian Open.
Given Djokovic’s well-documented opinions on COVID-19 immunisation, the prevailing uncertainty regarding his participation in the Australian Open has gripped tennis for weeks, as THEWILL has documented.
So far, he has refrained from confirming whether or not he has been vaccinated, but all that was seemingly resolved on Tuesday when he announced he had been granted a medical exemption to compete in the season’s first major.
THEWILL recalls Tennis Australia’s insistence that to compete at Melbourne Park, all players must be inoculated against coronavirus or get a medical exemption.
Many Australian nationals have been stranded overseas and unable to return because of the country’s severe immigration policies. As a result, the revelation that the reigning champion has been granted a medical exemption to enter the nation sparked outrage.
Tennis Australia and the Victorian state government both stated that the anonymous application process received no special treatment.
Morrison agrees, but warns that the world No. 1 must show he has a legitimate medical cause for the exemption.
“We await his presentation and what evidence he provides us to support that,” Morrison said. “If that evidence is insufficient, then he won’t be treated any differently to anyone else and he’ll be on the next plane home.
“There should be no special rules for Novak Djokovic at all. None whatsoever.”
If the Serb is allowed to feature, then from February 8, Djokovic will compete for his 21st Grand Slam championship as the Australian Open gets underway.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
