Novak Djokovic Has Reached Australia, But They Won’t Let Him In, He’s Stuck In Customs!
by Sean Randall | January 5th, 2022, 10:19 am
  • 19 Comments

Of course this would happen to Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic was controversially granted a medical exemption some 36 hours ago from the Australian government — for whatever reason (some reports suggest a recent bout with COVID) — so he posted the usual social media picture with his baggage and promptly boarded a flight.

BUT…

Upon landing today in Melbourne, Australia won’t let him in!

Apparently (depending on what news feed you read), there was an issue with his VISA application and with his exemption. If you have a medical exemption, you need a different VISA, one Djokovic does not have.

Djokovic, his people, and likely tournament officials who desperately want the Serb there, are now trying to fix this. But the Victorian government right now isn’t budging.

“The Federal Government has asked if we will support Novak Djokovic’s visa application to enter Australia,” stated Jaala Pulford, the Victoria Sports PM, a few hours ago.

“We will not be providing Novak Djokovic with individual visa application support to participate in the 2022 Australian Open Grand Slam.

“We’ve always been clear on two points: visa approvals are a matter for the Federal Government, and medical exemptions are a matter for doctors.”

Australia’s PM Scott Morrison had this to say earlier: “If that evidence is insufficient, then he won’t be treated any different to anyone else and he’ll be on the next plane home.

“And so if medical exemptions had been provided by medical professionals and that’s been furnished to him as a proviso for him to get on that plane, well, that will have to stack up when he arrives in Australia.”

This is quite the ongoing saga. Djokovic is stuck at the airport and the government is taking a hard stance. Who wins this battle? And what happened with his application? Sounds like the Australian Open helped push it through, but somehow during the process a few boxes didn’t get checked — reportedly some 26 players applied for exemptions and a few got in, so it’s now a new for officials, but something went sideways.

Since Djokovic made 15 hour trip from Dubai, my gut tells me they will let him in. The tournament will find a way. Someone will cave in. But it’s incredible to me that this stuff happens to Djokovic.

And of course we are far from done here.


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19 Comments for Novak Djokovic Has Reached Australia, But They Won’t Let Him In, He’s Stuck In Customs!

lylenubbins Says:

AUS authorities are Nazi-like tyrants when it comes to Covid. Go on an uncensored platform like Rumble and you will be astounded at what they have done and continue to do to their citizens. Would not be surprised if they don’t let Novak in even though he is entirely healthy and poses no risk to anyone. Covid insanity!!


Giles Says:

Best you go home faker! Nobody wants you!


Van Persie Says:

I think it’s time for the Serbian Embassy to do something, as this is getting ridiculous.

Australia, you are embarassing yourself!


Giles Says:

No VP you are embarrassing yourself!


fred stone Says:

^^^ Psycho’s fans are upset.


texmex Says:

Australia is the worse! I would never visit this country given the fascist regime in place.

#freenole


chrisford1 Says:

Will the same drama repeat again and again as the anti-vaxxer Novak tries getting into country after country that requires foreigners entering to be vaccinated? Rotterdam? The two Masters in the USA when they are not admitting unvaccinated people?

There apparently is no medical condition, according to doctors at WHO, that blocks getting vaccination. With all the varieties – nothing that makes it ill-advised to get one of several types of vaccine available after conferring with MDs. If concerns exist with one variety. If a concern of J&J ‘clots’, exists, get another type of vaccine.

Djokovic is doing another “own goal” on himself, I think.

Earlier I wrote that vaccine resistance is following a pattern of being in the ‘stubborn people” that are less affluent or advanced than neighbors. Prideful people, hating that anyone is telling them to be safe about things like cigarette smoking, vaccinations, staying out of the water due to riptides, no drinking, masks mandates, seat belts. The reaction is the world can kiss their asses.
You see the vaccine holdouts in poorer and angrier inner city blacks, Eastern Europeans, Arabs in European cities and in Arab countries (14% vaccination in Iraq), and now, famously, the dog dewormer munching Trump worshiping white Southerners.

[ 4 adult family members drown in Maryland riptide. The lifeguard that told them to get out of the water in a posted riptide area (sign was 25 feet from them) was threatened with violence, called a racist, as whites were way out on the water in jet skis. He left, after calling police. the 4 went in deeper, just to show the lifeguard who’s really in charge! Deep enough that the riptide swept all 4 off their feet and out to sea when it got stronger. All 4 were non-swimmers or bad swimmers and drowned in minutes.
He told them to get out, so they had to go in deeper. Called ‘oppositional culture’. ]


Krishna Says:

Wow Djokovic has been denied entry! He is being sent back home. So he wont be able to play in the Australian Open.


Milos Says:

It is probably for the better. The hate media produced was barking mad level. Kudos to him for trying to compete.


TexMex Says:

Nole banned from Aus. Players should walk-out and not participate until he is allowed entry.


dryeagle Says:

Why aren’t my comments going through?


dryeagle Says:

Finally! #freenole

If Aus wants to ban Nole, then other players should refuse to play until he is re-instated.


Wog Boy Says:

The question is, are the federal agents now going to knock on the doors of other 15 players who arrived before Nole in Melbourne on the same visa and detain them and kick them out of the country?
Have they detained them on arrival for 9 hours and checked if their visas are legit?

Australia is yet again laughing stock, deservedly so, I just hope that Nole will find good barristers and overturn decision and then tell them FU and fly out of the country on his own terms never to return again.
I am sure they kept him so long until they were checking with government legal team “what if” situation, since Nole arrived on the legit visa, issued by Australian embassy according to required rules and regulations set by the government itself!

It looks like people don’t realise that was able to obtain vaccination papers in 2 seconds had he wished to do so, and nobody could fault him since he has antibodies, but he chooses to put his money where his mouth is and I commend him for that, he stood his ground and he can live with that, AO itself became very irrelevant in this situation.


Col Says:

BC the other players with exemptions at least had the right visa filled out.


Wog Boy Says:

He had right visa too, excatly the same as the others, that was just speculation that he had wrong visa. There is no wrong visa, if you know anything about how embassy is issuing the visa than you would know they had to issue correct visa according to the paperwork provided by applicant, which in his case was clear cut and embassy staff is only extended hand of the government.


Wog Boy Says:

Funny how people fall easily for media lies or spread them purposely. Within minutes of plane landing the story of wrong visa was sent through media, bit literally within the minutes, Nole was probably still collecting his luggage and they already put the story out, really?!
It just shows that politicians were working around the clock during the to find some loophole to deny legit visa and pass the information to “their” media.


chrisford1 Says:

His coach and rest of his team are sitting at Qantas lounge waiting for him. So obviously they are all vaccinated and had correct visas. Shame they didn’t convince him to get vaccinated too.

Poor Goran! That’s why they pay him the big bucks! Not for the coaching but for those long plane rides home from the 2020 US Open, the Olympics, now – where SOMEBODY has to sit next to Novak.

Chris Evert is retweeting a pic of a smiling Federer dressed as an Australian Borders and Customs agent. Tweets of pics of the angry Australian reaction to deporting Novak, namely pics of empty Melbourne streets in quarantine….fake vids of cantankerous Dad Srdjan ‘taking it to the streets”. (I really hope his Dad is vaccinated, seriously!)

The reaction so far is this is Novak’s screwup. And that it is sort of a funny disaster, except for Djokovic, obviously, prickly Serbs, and us fans he has..Pretty consequential for his records, not just the “quest for 21” he will have a monkey on his back about, but loss of 2,665 points and likely loss of a #1 he should have had for many more months.

(Many Djokovic fans are his fans because he is great, but also flawed as a person in ways that they can relate to. Net touches, marital woes, disqualifications, Dad saying crazy stuff, literal tree hugging, Djokosmashes, cringeworthy celebrations. And it’s all good because he is basically an amazing performer, a really good person at his core, who tries to better his flaws.)

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