Novak Djokovic Was Denied Entry Into Australia Over Vaccine Requirements
Novak Djokovic remains the undefeated current reigning champion, at least when it comes to the outright refusal of COVID vaccinations. But I guess you could say he’s also a two-time winner of watching the consequences of his actions bite him in the ass. Two years ago, Novak (or should I say NoVax) revealed that there was no way his bare arm was going to get anywhere near a vaccination needle when it comes to COVID protection. Then about sixteen seconds later, he and his wife Jelena Ristić had tested positive for COVID. Obviously, they were some of the lucky ones, and they both pulled through. However, they clearly didn’t get a high enough dose of a survivor’s reality check, because they hung on tight to that anti-vaccination energy. Well, Novak isn’t just a prolific anti-vaxxer, he’s also a tennis player. And he was scheduled to play in the Australian Open, which begins next Monday. He was all ready to enter the land down under and hit some balls, but Australia had other plans. Unvaccinated Novak was turned away upon arrival.
34-year-old Novak has won the Australian Open nine times, with three back-to-back wins in 2019, 2020, and 2021. He was probably practicing his 2022 winner’s speech in the mirror at home for months now (“I’m going to Kangaroo Town, which is what I assume your version of Disneyland is!“). And he clearly knew that Australia had a very strict no vax, no entrance policy because before he hopped a plane bound for Australia, he made sure to hook himself up with a medical exemption for why he didn’t have his COVID shot. Currently, a person can’t enter Australia unless they can prove they have been immunized against COVID. If Novak had access to a time machine, he probably should have gone back to two years ago when he stupidly admitted he was an anti-vaxxer, because surprise surprise, Australia didn’t buy the bullshit about the medical exemption. via ESPN:
Djokovic arrived in Melbourne late on Wednesday night, just a week-and-a-half ahead of the year’s first Grand Slam. The 34-year-old had been granted a medical exemption for the country’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements to compete in the tournament, but on a bizarre day in which he was detained for eight hours at the airport, his visa was ultimately denied.
Australia’s Prime Minister chimed in on Twitter, and confirmed that yes, tennis superstar Novak Djokovic was denied like a desperate loser begging to be let into the club:
Mr Djokovic’s visa has been cancelled. Rules are rules, especially when it comes to our borders. No one is above these rules. Our strong border policies have been critical to Australia having one of the lowest death rates in the world from COVID, we are continuing to be vigilant.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) January 5, 2022
But how did Novak get approved for exemption in the first place? ESPN says that no one is sure how he was approved, because that’s all very confidential. But this denied-at-the-airport situation might have been the result of a massive public outcry. According to NBC News, Australians were “furious” that Novak was being given what looked like special treatment in the wake of some very strict COVID vaccine requirements. Many took to Twitter to call the move hypocritical, especially since many regular citizens were unable to fly and visit family or see loved ones. Others were especially pissed that citizens had to work so hard to make sure everyone was jabbed and boosted, and then a 9-time Australian Open winner was just allowed to waltz in, unvaccinated. NBC News notes that 91% of Australians over the age of 16 have received at least two doses of the COVID vaccine.
NBC News believes that it’s unlikely Novak will suddenly be granted permission to stay. He might still be trying to work things out with the government or his managers. At least that’s the excuse I’ve cooked up for myself for why he hasn’t Instagrammed a follow-up to this post, where he talks about how excited he is to be going to Australia on a vaccine exemption. Maybe he could post a picture of his trip to Australia. Just a t-shirt bought in the gift shop that says I Went Down Under and All I Got Was Publicly Embarrassed By Vaccine Rules.
Pic: Wenn.com