Djokovic took to social media on January 4 to announce that he had been granted a medical exemption to participate at the Australian Open despite not being vaccinated. The 34-year-old was detained by immigration authorities and had his visa canceled, following which he appealed the decision in court.
The visa cancelation was quashed by the Family Court in Australia, but the Immigration Minster used his “personal powers” to cancel the Serb’s visa for the second time earlier this week. This led to Djokovic appealing the decision in court once again, with a hearing scheduled to take place on Sunday.
All the events have been religiously covered by media all over the world, which Norrie feels is a good thing. During an appearance on the Tennis Talk podcast, the World No. 12 stated (at the 12-minute mark) that he personally wanted the 20-time Grand Slam champion to be at the Australian Open for two reasons.
The 26-year-old said it was important that the best players in the world are part of one of the biggest tournaments on the tennis calendar. Norrie added, with a chuckle, that he wished to see the public’s reaction to Djokovic if he was cleared to compete.
“Novak Djokovic knew all the risks going in, but his feel for the situation was questionable” - Cameron Norrie
Cameron Norrie said the blame for the visa fiasco lay more with Novak Djokovic than with the Australian government. Norrie reckons the World No. 1 knew what the risks were when he arrived in Melbourne with an exemption since the authorities were very clear with what they required from participating athletes.
Moreover, Norrie criticized the way in which the Serb has handled the situation. The Brit feels Djokovic should not have expected to arrive in Australia and play as an unvaccinated player considering the stringent lockdown measures citizens have had to put up with.
Also check out: Complete 2022 Australian Open Schedule of Play
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