Djokovic is currently the best player in the world. No wonder, then, that his ten-day case has crossed the boundaries of white sport and has become a worldview, ideological and truly political. So it is appropriate to recall the basic outlines of what happened.
Djokovic, as the star of the tournament, was interested in participating in the Australian Open because he could achieve a record number of wins. The organizers, led by the Australian state of Vicotira, had a similar interest, as the participation of the tennis number one attracts sponsors, spectators and generally increases prestige. What came first, whether an invitation or an expression of interest, is the same as examining whether there used to be an egg or a chicken before. They are continuous vessels.
So Djokovic was given two independent commissions to say that even the unvaccinated could come, and on that basis the state of Victoria granted him an exemption because he allegedly suffered a covid-19. Other players also received an exception. But before Djokovic arrived in Victoria, he had to get through federal government officials guarding the border across Australia.
There Djokovic’s visa was revoked when they found a loophole in the law, Djokovic traveled to the detention hotel, which is a hotel by name only. Migrants and refugees go there for detention, due to local conditions there was already a riot among the residents. Subsequently, one judge overturned the federal authorities’ decision so that after five days the Minister for Migration would use his power to overturn the court’s decision so that Djokovic would appeal again, and the court ruled that the minister had that power. All as if cut from Kafka’s trial. Long live the rule of law.
If we take into account the claims of Djokovic’s supporters, the case is over by the last trial, the witch hunt is over, just unlike the Middle Ages, the witch did not die in flames, but flew in a metal bird in the direction of Dubai. The whole case is covered by the fact that before Djokovic’s problems began, other players, with an exception, had already trained, in preparation for the Australian Open, then Australian officials would start collecting and sending them away in connection with Djokovic. Czech tennis player Renata Voráčová also knows her stuff. We can only sympathize with her, because she has been working all her life, just like Djokovic, so she could participate.
However, let’s look at the arguments of the Australian government. She blamed Djokovic for the fact that if he arrives with an exception (as well as others), he will disparage the previous victims of the Australians in the fight against the virus. Australia had one of the strictest lockdowns, families and loved ones could not see each other for almost two years, I know the case of a divided family. And the result? According to the Australian Government, the number of new infections is growing.
Due to the tens of thousands of infected people, a few tennis players will not help, so it is not possible to play a smash against the threat to public health. Anger instead of tennis players should be directed at the government, when even the strictest lockdown and de facto closure of the borders did not help. Rather than explaining this, it is better to snatch tennis players. Elections are approaching.
Possible disturbance of public order, that there would be riots in the streets? If the Australian government, in cooperation with some media and envious people, had not made such a halo, it would not have been in danger. And maybe it doesn’t even threaten. Djoković and possibly some other players and people can definitely not be blamed for something that did not happen and that they might not even influence. In court, you are to blame for something you did and not for what you could do.
Vaccination? In Australia, more than 77 percent of people are fully vaccinated, so encouraging people to disagree with the arrival of a few tennis players is quite funny, because those who wanted to be vaccinated have probably already been vaccinated. In addition, people are self-righteous and Djokovic has not actively encouraged anyone to be vaccinated.
Added to this was a shootout between states, as Australian miners from Rio Tinto would like to mine lithium in Serbia, which the locals are protesting against, Serbs say the humiliation of their diplomatic passport holder has taken place in the interests of local, Australian politics. But the result is the only one. Pressure always causes back pressure, action reaction, which is a fundamental law not only of physics but also of human society. What has happened in Australia is foolishness and ugliness. If anyone wanted to make a martyr, they succeeded. Note that most demonstrations are against vaccination obligations so far.
I, as vaccinated, recognize a person’s right to vote as long as the vaccines are approved for emergency use and have been promised voluntary. In addition, we know that omicron does not ask much for vaccines, their advantage is in preventing a difficult course. In the end, it is clear that it does not matter if Djokovic had a positive test and suffered the disease sooner or later, whether after the test he still gave prices to the media or not. Importantly, this case was about the opportunism and alibis of those whose recipes failed to fight the virus over and over again, rather than fighting the virus.
The Australian government has tried to disguise its own failure by fighting its own people properly and preventing the virus anyway. Unfortunately, not only in the opposite way, things often turn upside down, so she can get away with it.
