The Djokovic case: a total chaos

Novak Djokovic has left the country.

His deportation on Sunday night came on the back of a battle with a government that has been responsible for some of the world’s most stringent border restrictions during the pandemic.

As the saga about his visa has played out, it was revealed that Djokovic did not heed many lessons he should have learned from the first time he contracted COVID. That came after hosting the ill-fated Adria events during the first wave of the pandemic in June 2020.

His anti-vaccine sentiment and behaviours

As Europeans were dying by the thousands, particularly in Spain and Italy, Djokovic and fellow tennis pros Grigor Dimitrov and Borna Coric, among others, partied shirtless after the event. They contracted COVID.

Djokovic’s response in the aftermath was that his “intention was pure”. At best it was an error of judgement, at worst it showed a lack of understanding about the seriousness of the pandemic for his fellow humans.

He has spoken about being sceptical of vaccines, frequently thumbed his nose at restrictions and made bizarre statements on health, including a video where Djokovic proclaims that he has seen people purify water with their minds.

On the other hand, Djokovic, the highest earner in the history of the sport, has also had a philanthropic agenda that includes the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which in 2020 bought ventilators for Serbia.

Last month he travelled to Spain unvaccinated, where, like Australia, vaccinations are required to enter. He either lied to or misled Australian Border Force by claiming he had not travelled in the 14 days before coming to Australia, then blamed the error on his manager.

Then it emerged that he had met with children at a Tennis Belgrade function when he knew he was potentially infectious, before doing a L’Equipe interview after testing positive and not telling the journalist involved.

Despite his philanthropic effort, it’s easy to see the Australian government’s argument. Djokovic’s actions show he has the potential to act recklessly or make dangerous comments on health during a pandemic, which right now is rampant in this country.

‘Playing by his own rules’

Tennis Australia has to be apportioned some of the blame for telling players that if they were granted a medical exemption for the tournament they could enter unvaccinated, despite the federal government saying otherwise.

But many players, including Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas, have pointed out they knew they had to be vaccinated to enter Australia, which again moves the blame back to Djokovic.

Fans and Djokovi’s father have tried to paint the saga as the tennis star being persecuted because he is Serbian. Serbian President Aleksander Vucic described the deportation as a witch hunt and compared his treatment to torture.

Government stands with public interests

Minister Hawke welcomed the decision by the Federal Court to uphold Djokovic’s visa cancellation in “the public interest”.

“Australia’s strong border protection policies have kept us safe during the pandemic, resulting in one of the lowest death rates, strongest economic recoveries, and highest vaccination rates in the world,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

“Strong border protection policies are also fundamental to safeguarding Australia’s social cohesion which continues to strengthen despite the pandemic.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the cancellation of Djokovic’s visa was in the public interest. “Strong borders are fundamental to the Australian way of life as is the rule of law. “Our Government has always understood this and has been prepared to take the decisions and actions necessary to protect the integrity of our borders.”