Tag Archives: Novak Djokovic

ESPN reports: Novak Djokovic withdrew Wednesday from the BNP Paribas Open on the eve of the event, saying he cannot travel to the United States because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19. Djokovic, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, cited regulations by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the reason for his inability to play. The U.S. has …

The BBC reports: Novak Djokovic has said he would rather miss out on future tennis trophies than be forced to get a Covid vaccine. Speaking exclusively to the BBC, he said he should not be associated with the anti-vax movement, but supported an individual’s right to choose. Djokovic was asked if he would sacrifice taking part in competitions such as …

ESPN reports: Rafael Nadal made history in epic fashion Sunday at the Australian Open, rallying from two sets down in the final to beat Daniil Medvedev and win a men’s record 21st Grand Slam title. The Spanish southpaw had been in a three-way tie with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic atop the all-time list for men’s major winners but now …

The BBC reports: BBC research has cast doubt on the timing of the positive Covid test Novak Djokovic used to enter Australia to try to compete in the Australian Open. It was provided to exempt him from rules barring unvaccinated people. However, the serial number on his test on 16 December appears out of sequence with a sample of tests …

Reuters reports: The pandemic has blocked Novak Djokovic’s march to tennis history, so the 34-year-old may be pinning his hopes on a cure for COVID to get his hands on another glorious grand slam before time runs out. The Serbian superstar, who became a focus of the global vaccine debate over his failed attempt to enter Australia without being inoculated, …

Reuters reports: World men’s tennis No. 1 Novak Djokovic will have to comply with Spanish health rules to be able to travel to Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday. Answering a question on whether Djokovic would be allowed to enter Spain to compete after Australia deported him for being unvaccinated against COVID-19, Sanchez said: “Any sportsperson who wishes …

The Associated Press reports: Novak Djokovic arrived in his native Serbia on Monday after being deported from Australia because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19, ending his hopes of defending his Australian Open title. But even as one saga appeared to close, another opened as questions arose over whether he would be barred from the next Grand Slam tournament, the …

ESPN reports: Novak Djokovic’s final bid to avoid deportation and play in the Australian Open despite being unvaccinated for COVID-19 ended Sunday when a court unanimously dismissed the No. 1-ranked tennis player’s challenge of a government minister’s decision to cancel his visa. Djokovic said he was “extremely disappointed” by the ruling but respected it. He released a statement shortly after …

The Washington Post reports: It was deja vu for Novak Djokovic on Saturday as the tennis star was detained for a second time by Australian authorities and placed back in the very same hotel he’d triumphantly left just this week. The strange scene of the world’s top-ranked men’s player again being escorted into a hotel housing asylum seekers came on …

NBC News reports: Novak Djokovic faces possible deportation from Australia after the country’s immigration minister canceled the unvaccinated tennis star’s visa for a second time on Friday, citing public health. It could end the Serb’s bid for a record 21st major title at the Australian Open tournament, which starts Monday. Djokovic’s lawyers moved swiftly to apply for an injunction that …

NBC News reports: Australia’s prime minister said Thursday his government’s tough policy toward visitors who were not vaccinated for Covid-19 had not changed, as it nears a decision on whether to deport Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic. Despite the cloud hanging over Djokovic’s ability to compete, Australian Open organizers included the top seed in the draw. He is slated to …

The Guardian reports: Novak Djokovic could face a fine or even prison in Serbia after his admission that he broke isolation while he had Covid last month, lawyers have said, as the Serbian prime minister warned his behaviour appeared to be “a clear breach” of the rules. Djokovic on Wednesday acknowledged that he knew he had tested positive when he …

Reuters reports: World tennis No. 1 and vaccine opponent Novak Djokovic blamed “human error” on Wednesday for a mistake in his Australian immigration paperwork and apologised for breaking isolation for a photoshoot when he had COVID-19 last month. Djokovic’s cause was not helped by a mistake in his Australian entry declaration where the “no” box was ticked saying he had …

The Guardian reports: The Australian Border Force is investigating whether Novak Djokovic incorrectly declared he had not travelled and would not do so for two weeks before his flight to Australia, in the latest twist in the tennis star’s visa cancellation saga. Questions have been raised about the declaration completed by an agent for Djokovic, with social media posts seemingly …

CBS News reports: Tennis star Novak Djokovic on Monday won a court battle to stay in Australia to play in the Australian Open despite being unvaccinated against COVID-19, but the government threatened to cancel his visa a second time. Federal Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly reinstated Djokovic’s visa, which was canceled after his arrival last week because officials decided he …

Reuters reports: The Australian government had not given tennis star Novak Djokovic an assurance that a medical exemption that he said he had to enter Australia without a COVID-19 vaccination would be accepted, government lawyers said in a court filing on Sunday. The filing ahead of a court hearing on Monday was in defence of the government’s decision to bar …

The Insider reports: Tennis star Novak Djokovic had a vaccine exemption to enter Australia because he recently recovered from COVID-19, his lawyers said in court documents. The number one men’s tennis player’s visa was revoked on Wednesday when he arrived at Melbourne Airport to compete in the Australian Open. Australian border force officials said that Djokovic had “failed to provide …

Australia’s News Corp outlet reports: Novak Djokovic is a victim of a “political witch hunt” claimed Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic as fans in Belgrade and family members rallied in support of the embattled tennis star after Australian authorities cancelled his entry visa. In the Serbian capital Belgrade, Djokovic’s father Srdjan led a demonstration alongside a few hundred others in front …

Australia’s Seven News reports: Rafael Nadal has urged Novak Djokovic to accept the consequences if he continues to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine, saying “the world has been suffering enough to not follow the rules”. “I think if he wanted, he would be playing here in Australia without a problem. He went through another – he made his own decisions, and …

The Washington Post reports: Novak Djokovic, the world’s top-ranked men’s tennis player, had his visa canceled, per the Australian Border Force, after being detained for hours in the Melbourne airport upon landing in the country late Wednesday night. Tournament and state officials announced Tuesday that Djokovic had been granted a medical exemption from getting vaccinated against the coronavirus so that …