Chicago Bulls star Nikola Vucevic didn't hold back his thoughts on what he believes is politics behind Novak Djokovic's failure to prevent his deportation to play in the Australian Open.
The Australian government canceled Djokovic's visa on the grounds that he is unvaccinated against COVID-19 and his presence might present risks to the general public. The Australian Open organizers require all participants to be vaccinated, though they're giving out exemptions and Djokovic was initially handed that.
Unfortunately for the Serbian star, he was detained due to a visa issue before a border official canceled his visa because he didn't qualify for medical exemption based on the rules for Australia's unvaccinated visitors, per CBS Sports. He appealed the decision, but it went for naught as he has been deported from the country–preventing him to defend his title in the Grand Slam tournament.
Vucevi, however, is not buying the COVID-19 vaccination as the reason for Djokovic's deportation. The Bulls star expressed his belief that politicians used the Tennis champion to make themselves look good.
“What happened to Djokovic is just politicians using their power to show off and get extra followers. It has nothing to do with Covid or visa issues, they used him to try to make themselves look better. Very sad how they treated a First Class Champion!” Nikola Vucevic wrote on Twitter.
The concerns over the spread of COVID-19 and its new variant Omicron are rising, so it's not a surprise why countries like Australia are being strict to the implementation of their rules and protocols. However, given the chaos created by the Novak Djokovic issue and his exemption, one can only wonder if things could have been handled more discreetly and properly.
However, it is too late now and Djokovic will just have to accept the fact that he won't be given the chance to break the Grand Slam title tie with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open.
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