Triumph or deceptive success: Novak Djokovic is initially a free man in Australia
Novak Djokovic won the first stage of the Australian Open - in court. Whether he can really take part in the tournament remains to be seen. Meanwhile, there was some commotion in the streets of Melbourne.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: Jan 10, 2022, 05:24 pm
For many years the bosses of the Australian Open have not tired of marketing their tournament spectacle as a "Happy Slam". As a good mood event with a summery, relaxed flair, with expectant fans from all over the world and sporty electrifying high voltage. What could blossom for the first major tournament of the season from next Monday, not only the tennis world got an unwelcome foretaste on Monday evening in Melbourne: The news of Novak Djokovic's legal victory against the Australian Ministry of the Interior about the refused entry had hardly spread , hosts of Djokovic fans advanced towards the law firm where the nine-time Australian Open winner was during the trial.
The mood was heated, rumors of a renewed arrest of Djokovic were launched. And when a limousine then left the underground car park of the building on Collins Street, supposedly with the newly appointed champion, there was wild skirmish and tumult between the mostly Serbian protesters and the police. Pepper spray was also used against the aggressive demonstrators, and one of the rioters even trampled on the roof of the luxury limousine. What, observers wondered, would happen when Djokovic performed at the National Tennis Center on the Yarra River?
At the end of the fifth chaotic day in the immigration affair, there was only at first glance a winner, namely Djokovic, who was initially a free man, whose objection to the entry ban was finally upheld by Judge Anthony Kelly. During the tough trial, the judge was once quoted as saying what this man, Djokovic, “should have done” to get into the country, but this comment was actually irrelevant. For the time being, it was not about the legitimation of the visa, about Djokovic's vaccination status or his behavior after he survived his second virus infection, but about a procedural error by the "Australian Border Force" - the border guards had the 34-year-old superstar on that memorable night at Tullamarina Airport namely not given enough time to consult with lawyers and to prepare appeals.
In the court documents it was neatly documented that Djokovic first protested at the immigration counter that he was only given a 20-minute period at 4 a.m. to prove his entry request with the necessary documents. Later he was promised that he would have until 8.30 a.m. But at exactly 6:14 a.m. he was suddenly questioned again, with the effect that on Thursday morning at exactly 7:42 a.m. he was told that no visa would be issued. Instead, he had to go to a deportation hotel.
What about Djokovic PCR test?
The big question of whether the decision of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia was really a lasting triumph for the exceptional Belgrade player or just a deceptive stage victory, of course, remained open and will possibly be decided on Tuesday. The Australian government had already stated during the negotiation that it reserved the right to use executive power to revoke Djokovic's visa. Speculations that such a withdrawal could happen immediately, right after the trial before the Honorable Anthony Kelly, did not come true - the responsible minister, Alex Hawke, had a spokesman explain that the matter would be examined on the basis of the court order.
For Djokovic, the trial also exposed tell-tale and dangerous truths. Because although the world number one underwent a PCR test in Belgrade on December 16 at 13:05 and received a positive response at 8:19 p.m. , he attended several public meetings on December 17 - instead of getting into the necessary isolation go. Djokovic's pictures with successful tennis kids, which were taken in his own training center on December 17th, were particularly fatal and irresponsible. Djokovic also left a delegation from the French trade journal L'Equipe in the unclear that he was acutely infected, who had come to the Serbian capital on December 18 for an award ceremony and a photo shoot. At first it remained open whether Djokovic might have to justify himself to the international tennis authorities because of these missteps. At the usual shrill press conference of the Djokovic family on Monday, the question-and-answer game was hastily stopped at the exact moment when the talk came about the inconsistencies surrounding the positive test.
Serbian media: "Novak wins, the state knelt down"
While the tabloids in Djokovic's homeland were jubilant - the Blic noted, for example: "Novak wins, the state knelt down" - the prospects for the upcoming Australian Open looked rather bleak. In the past there had been trouble with the heated fan battalions of Djokovic, now there was a charged atmosphere threatening disputes between supporters and local fans, who were rather negative about the vaccination refusal. From circles of Tennis Australia it was heard that the security measures would have to be significantly strengthened in order to be able to counter any disruptive actions quickly. Numerous Australians had already announced on social media that if Djokovic participated, they would return the tickets they had already purchased.
Nadal: Very easy if he had been vaccinated "
Some of Djokovic's usual supporters in professional circles, including the right-wing American John Isner, spoke up publicly and declared that the series winner should now “really show it to his critics and the Australian state:” “Just win and then never come back ", Isner reported. The vast majority of the tennis caravan, however, looked angrily at the competitions, which threatened to be overshadowed by the Djokovic case. Last week, the ongoing tennis events on the fifth continent had hardly been noticed, not even the comeback victory of Rafael Nadal, who had returned to the tennis circuit, in a preparatory tournament. The Spanish grandee only found a public hearing when he announced on the Djokovic case that everything would have been very easy for the competitor from Belgrade "if he had been vaccinated."
Djokovic himself delivered the final picture of the day. He posed late in the evening on a photo in his tennis paradise , in the Rod Laver Arena, the site of nine Grand Slam victories so far. He rushed to go there on Monday after the legal battle, picked up the Australian Open accreditation and met his team for training. "I am glad and grateful that the judge canceled the visa cancellation", wrote Djokovic, "I will stay here in Australia and play the tournament." All in all, it was an undisguised announcement, a demonstrative pose, according to the motto: I came to stay