MELBOURNE (SID) – The Australian Tennis Association considers itself innocent in the immigration case surrounding record Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic. And in an internal video leaked to the Sunday Herald Sun, Australian Tennis Club president Craig Tilly praised the “fantastic job” the team had done in dealing with the matter.
“There’s a lot of finger pointing and a lot of blaming, but I can assure you our team has done an incredible job,” Tilly told the camera. He went on to say that the organization chose not to raise the issue publicly because of Djokovic’s suit. Tilley said his team “did everything they could, according to the instructions they were given.”
Tennis Australia has previously been accused of misleading players with a memo in Australian media telling them that the recent injury was a reason to temporarily waive the medical vaccination.
Before leaving for Melbourne, 34-year-old vaccine skeptic Serb Djokovic boasted on social media that he had obtained a waiver, which is generally believed to be because he contracted the virus recently.
Djokovic has been stuck in a quarantine hotel since landing on Wednesday, and Australian authorities denied him entry due to what appeared to be incorrect documents. The court should decide on Monday. Djokovic wants to defend his Australian Open title (from January 17th).
Double specialist Renata Vorakova, who shares the same fate as the star, told Czech media about the conditions at the Park Hotel in Melbourne: “They brought me food and there’s a guard in the hallway. You have to report, everything is rationed. I feel like I’m in a little prison.”
Djokovic received expressions of respect from Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios. “If he was allowed to play in the Australian Open, he would not be able to stop him. I think he would be angry,” Kyrgios said on the sidelines of a preparatory tournament in Sydney. You cannot overcome such adversities. I’m sure he had a much tougher time than spending a few more days in hotel rooms. “
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