Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said she was neither optimistic nor pessimistic about whether her compatriot Novak Djokovic would be allowed to play at the Australian Open, but expected a final decision soon.
Australian Open: Serbian PM expects an early decision on Novak Djokovic’s participation (Reuters Photo)
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Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Tuesday she expected a quick final decision on world No. 1 Novak Djokovic’s participation in the Australian Open 2022. Djokovic held a practice session on Tuesday focused on defending his Australian Open title while he still faces the prospect. of deportation because he has not been vaccinated against Covid-19.
The top-ranked tennis star entered the show court at Melbourne Park, where the tournament is held, within hours of winning a legal battle that allowed her to stay in the country. Djokovic is facing the threat of being detained and deported from Australia by the federal government for a second time, although a court ruling on Monday overturned an earlier decision to revoke his visa.
“I expect the final decision to be announced soon,” Brnabic told Reuters in an interview. “Uncertainty does not bode well for any stakeholder, neither Djokovic nor the Australian Open.”
She said she was “neither optimistic nor pessimistic” about whether Djokovic would be allowed to stay in Australia, where he would bid for a record 21st Grand Slam title.
Brnabic, who spoke to his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison late on Monday, said his government was ready to guarantee that Djokovic would respect local rules while in Australia.
Non-residents who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 cannot enter Australia unless they are exempted. Djokovic, who has not been vaccinated, based his remission on contracting the virus last month. The government argued that their waiver case was insufficient, but the court overturned that decision.
Asked about attending an event of the Belgrade Tennis Association on 17 December the day after Djokovic tested positive, Brnabic said the star would have “clearly violated the rules” if he did not take the test before taking part. knew about the result.
However, additional clarification was needed. “I don’t know when he got the test result, when he read it,” Brnabic said.
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