After a long, hard week, there is finally some positive news for World No.1 Novak Djokovic. It has been confirmed that he will be allowed to compete at this year’s Australian Open, but not without tons of drama. After announcing that he will be participating under medical exemption, all hell broke loose.
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With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it was mandatory for all competitors travelling to Australia to tick some health boxes. Meanwhile Novak Djokovic, who was not fully in line with the guidelines, received exemption permission from Tennis Australia.
In the aftermath of this, there was a further update that no exemption would be granted, meaning that Djokovic was detained and stranded in a hotel. But after the final court hearing, everything was cleared up. But why exactly did the Serbian need exemption in the first place?
READ MORE: Is Novak Djokovic Playing Australian Open 2022?
Novak Djokovic’s family avoids question regarding his health
As per some reports, the 20-time Grand Slam champion did not receive a vaccination to take part in the first major of the campaign. In addition to this update, sources claimed that Nole applied for exemption as he tested positive for Covid-19 on December 16th. In a curious case however, the Serbian star was seen at an event on the very next day. Therefore, something does not add up.
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Ever since the beginning of this fiasco, Novak’s father Srdjan had been protesting for his son. After the recent court case, it was confirmed that the 34-year-old could vie to retain his coveted crown Down Under. On the other hand, Srdjan and some other members of the family were asked about Djokovic’s whereabouts on December 17th. In a shocking avoidance, they chose not to answer the question, and ended the press conference. Take a look.
One major question for Novak Djokovic at the moment is regarding his movements after testing positive on 16 December. Someone asked his family if “he was at an event on the 17th of December”. This was the response: pic.twitter.com/ypIxquMHUG
— James Gray (@jamesgraysport) January 10, 2022
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By hook or by crook, at least we have finally arrived at a decision regarding Novak Djokovic’s participation. But are you in favor of the call? Have your say in the comments.