Djokovic’s News Conference Stopped When COVID Timeline Question Comes Up

It is so easy to explain when and if you want to think about. Novak’s test was done because he was in contact with a basket-ball player who tested positive. Since Novak himself had no symptoms, he took no precautions until he got the results. In Serbia almost nobody wears masks anyway. Btw, anybody who made the effort to read a bit more about testing knows that one third of the tests are false positives.

Otoh, I don’t understand the point of this article. There were so many things to write about: Novak supporting protests against Rio Tinto, e.g. Nadal entering Australia before the end of the mandatory 14 days quarantine, other players with derogations, the scandalous behaviour of the ATP, the WTA and the border forces etc.

By taking part in a campaign against the greatest player ever you just look pathetic.

January 10th, 2022 at 11:45 am

I haven’t seen Sean be anything but fair and understanding of Djokovic and his penchant for stepping in it at times interrupting long stretches of brilliance….
Obviously, Australia does not have a rule based on a recent Omicron infection eliminating the need to get vaccinated – but somehow a precaution that people should not get boosted after a recent infection that became a waiver on delaying the booster requirement at Immigration and Customs – got twisted by stupid bureaucrats into a general waiver. Worse, without knowledge of dumb bureaucrats on the other side of the rules bureaucracy that were “rules zealots” and thought Djokovic should be treated like Bengalis caught slipping off a smuggler’s boat in the dead of night.
Looks like Djokovic is somehow going to get away with this error on paper – unless the Minister intervenes and says Tennis Australia and Victoria got the immigration law wrong and the judge is overruled in his opinion. But he may catch hell from the class conscious Australians already chafing about different Covid rules for the elites and the masses. Because the Djokovic case presently throws the no-vaccination, no entry rule out, provided the unvaxxed person tested positive recently, then negative, and is a celebrity.

January 10th, 2022 at 3:22 pm

Good to see a calm & rational judge take a long look at the FACTS and make a decision that will serve everyone involved best.

After exposing the flub-ups of the bureaucracies involved (govt & Tennis Australia), they’d best let sleeping dogs lie.

Still some time left, I’m hoping that the temperature comes down on all this by day 1 of the open….

And yes, Novak will have to answer some (maybe hard) questions, we’ll see. Overall, I’m glad to see him back in the mix to defend.

January 10th, 2022 at 3:38 pm

The whole vaccine thing has made me feel very bitter and angry, hubby and I both work in care, neither of us wanted the jabs, but we were told we had no choice, either have the jab or lose our jobs, so we both had the jabs, hubby didn’t feel right for weeks afterwards. and just before Christmas he had a stroke, could be a coincidence bu

January 10th, 2022 at 4:36 pm

Sorry continue, could be a coincidence but I somehow doubt it, just wanted to point out that us mere mortals sometimes, are not always given a choice….

January 10th, 2022 at 4:39 pm

Hi Al! My son fishes with a guy whose wife got the vaccine and she also had a stroke……coincidence?? We are wondering the same thing. My cardiologist refuses to get the jab. The planet is divided on this issue…. so many of the doctors worldwide aren’t on the same page….. and that is scary to me. I had two shots but no booster. I am just now getting over Omicron. It was like a super cold. I had no fever at all, but the symptoms have hung around since Dec. 19…..I haven’t sneezed today…..”so maybe it’s leaving my body.

January 10th, 2022 at 4:52 pm

Hi Okie good to see you again, yeah seems your damned if you don’t and damned if you do, Clive was fine before having those jabs, I feel very bitter about the whole thing, stay safe my friend, and I hope you feel better soon xx

January 10th, 2022 at 5:02 pm

Lingering odors:

Tests positive December 16, 2021
Tests negative December 22, 2021
Gets AO approval to play December 30, 2021
AND
Deadline for AO exemption was December 10, 2021

Did AO officials break their own rules?

Is six days a believable period of time to ‘recover’ from the unnamed variant of covid allegedly infecting Mr.D.?

Is there a Doctor in the house?

January 10th, 2022 at 5:28 pm

Sean, to whom exactly Nole owns an explanation, to you and your trolls here?
Just because you tried to be an legal expert and brought that up hoping that they will use it it doesn’t mean it’s relevant, as it showed irrelevant, since even government legal representative didn’t mention one single time, he couldn’t since it wasn’t the reason for visa cancellation nor it can be, Serbia has different rules, they are not policing people who tested positive nor they are locking them into their homes, I know that, and I mean I know that as a fact.
What matters is that Nole’s paperwork is legit, issued by the proper bodies with proper seals.
I don’t know if you applied for visa, but the embassy officials check if the papers were forged, they don’t go and check if your doctor did a favour to you and gave you vaccine certification even you had placebo instead of real one, like I am sure lot of people are doing around the world, including some tennis players.
As mat4 said, you people are pathetic.

January 10th, 2022 at 5:30 pm

Hi mat4,

You couldn’t be more tight, Kyrgios pulled out of the last week Melbourne 250 stating that he feels strange, but numerous tests came back negative so he blamed asthma.
Well, yesterday he pulled out of Sydney 250 since he tested positive!
So, in a two weeks of time he tested numerous times negative, even having symptoms, how many people and players he infected in all those days, are the stringent Australian officials going to track them down and put them in isolation, as they should do according to their own rules?
Surprise surprise, actually no, they don’t even tslk about that possibility, all his contacts are still out and about.
AO starts on Monday, how many days he has to go to isolation, he certainly can’t play, it’s only 7 days to go?!
Actually no again, nobody is contemplating kicking him out unless he decides to do so.

January 10th, 2022 at 5:50 pm

^^^ “more right” should say, sorry mat4😁

January 10th, 2022 at 5:51 pm

Another example of Australian “consistency” in covid policy, nurses that tested positive but don’t have a symptoms are encouraged to come back to work due to lack of staff, nurses?!

Transport worker are told the same since movement is grossly interrupted due to sending thousands of people in isolation, supermarkets are empty, not because of lack of goods but because of lack of transportation.

Yet, they are after healthy tennis player who has more chances to get infected by rampaging omicron in Melbourne….even 95% of population is double jabbed, lot of them with booster shots, sure you cannot get the virus if you are jabbed nor you can transmit it…or?!

January 10th, 2022 at 6:25 pm

Hey Al….. I agree with you on the jab……you’re damned either way, so it seems. Good to hear back from you. Take care, my friend!

January 10th, 2022 at 6:48 pm

Alison-that’s terrible. Clots have been an issue with shots. Hope he recovers soon.
Okie- if my cardiologist isn’t taking it that’s a big red flag. How old is son’s friend with stroke?

Seems like it’s a roll of the dice. If you’re healthy and young with 99.9% survival it’s best to think long and hard about taking it. It should be a choice.

January 10th, 2022 at 9:20 pm

Chris and tennis monger
Whether he answers questions during the tournament about his case is up to his attorneys. I wouldn’t answer anything pertaining to legal or medical issues.

January 10th, 2022 at 9:31 pm

@Django…..She’s an older woman…. but a picture of health. Not sure how soon after the jab she had the stroke. But she isn’t doing good at all. Yes…. definitely a red flag regarding my cardio….. he’s been doing lots of research. I told him my son had tested positive and he said well he won’t need to get the vaccine. My daughter in law works for a dentist and he wouldn’t get the shot either. She had Covid… had a blood clot in her lung…. hospitalized for 9 days. She was not vaccinated and still isn’t to this day. She just got over omicron. My son has had all three….. Covid, delta and omicron….Still not vaccinated. Their choice…..Like I said in another one of my comments, the planet is divided on this issue. I just wish ALL DOCTORS WERE ON THE SAME PAGE…. and they’re not. Scary…….

January 10th, 2022 at 9:36 pm

Django:

“Chris and tennis monger
Whether he answers questions during the tournament about his case is up to his attorneys. I wouldn’t answer anything pertaining to legal or medical issues.”

Well, if I was him I wouldn’t answer anything without going through his handlers, either.
However, this isn’t a one-time hit the judge in the throat and get out of Dodge and put the matter behind him with sincere apologies, yadayada…
Tournament hasn’t even started, the questions really haven’t started and Australia is just the 1st of many countries where people will be asking the same questions as he tries to get a Visa to get in to play tennis. Won the battle, may lose the war. May lose a sponsor or two if they think Djokovic now is a little too far off the beaten path with his alt-medicine ideas for them to be comfortable using him for pitching their junk to regular people..

January 10th, 2022 at 11:06 pm

Despite that suss end to the press conference I was pleasantly surprised with how the family composed themselves and spoke to the media. They could have been really nasty about the whole thing, got bitter and painted all of Australia with the same brush but I thought they were very reasonable and still acknowledged his Australian supporters. They just want the fair treatment of their son/brother, they were scared for him and that is fair enough. The way Djokovic was treated was not OK and the government really stuffed it up but it was good the family is taking the high road (at least for now).

As to the truth of his covid claims I am less convinced but this saga just needs to stop now. Let sleeping dogs lie, get on with the tournament, let him play and move on. Anything more is just stoking the fire of an already ugly situation.

January 10th, 2022 at 11:25 pm

What sort of a person who’s tested positive for Covid mingles with the public and CHILDREN.? Lol and mask less!!
The man deserves to be deported immediately imo.
Take the vaccine you f…..g idiot.

January 11th, 2022 at 6:11 am

Just hearing on sky news that he lied in the form he filled in. Question asked was whether he had visited any other countries in the last 2 months and he said “ none” having just visited Marbella, Spain. Not looking good for the man. Hope the immigration minister will make the right decision.

January 11th, 2022 at 6:24 am

Django thank you, he’s not great, but he’s just taking it a day at a time, we’ll see.

January 11th, 2022 at 8:30 am