Paul Rouget, Media365: published on Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 2:35 p.m.
Two days after the expulsion of Novak Djokovic, the Australian Federation expressed regret, lamenting “the impact this case has had on all players”.
The 110th edition of the Australian Open, and the 54th of the Open era, therefore began without Novak Djokovic on Monday. After having his visa canceled for the second time, the world number one, not vaccinated against Covid-19, had to leave Australia eleven days after his arrival. A soap opera that kept the world of tennis in suspense, and not only, but could make the Serbian lose a lot, to whom his main sponsor will hold accounts, when he also learned that he could not participate in Roland- Garros than by being vaccinated. In a press release issued on Tuesday, the Australian Tennis Federation regrets the extent to which this case has taken on.
“A major distraction”
“As representatives of the tennis family, we recognize that the events have been a significant distraction for everyone and we deeply regret the impact this case has had on all players. Like players and all tennis fans here and around the world, we can’t wait to bring attention back to this sport we are all passionate about.. (…) There are always lessons to be learned and we will review all aspects of our preparation and implementation of our programs, as we do every year, the statement said. This process always begins as soon as the champions of the Australian Open have lifted their trophy.” A process which will therefore not begin before January 30, the date of the men’s singles final, which will close the first Grand Slam of the And we don’t know if Djokovic (34), three-time defending champion and nine-time winner in Melbourne, will be able to play there again, he who was banned from Australian territory for three years.
