Netizens in Melbourne have reacted angrily to Novak Djokovic’s “medical exemption” to participate in the Australian Open without having received the Covid-19 vaccine.
In Victoria, where players and all members of their entourages must be doubly vaccinated for the event, which begins on January 17, the nine-time champion will try to capture a record 21st career major championship.
“Happy New Year! Wishing you all health, love & joy in every moment & may you feel love & respect towards all beings on this wonderful planet,” Djokovic wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.
“I’ve spent fantastic quality time with loved ones over break & today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let’s go 2022!”
The world No 1’s tweet garnered plenty of angry responses from Australians on social media, however.
Over the last month, Victoria has seen an increase in Covid-19 cases, with the more transmissible Omicron variety swiftly becoming the state’s prevalent strain.
Arrivals in Victoria who are fully vaccinated are free from hotel quarantine if they isolate at home. Within 24 hours of arrival, they must do a PCR test and a quick antigen test, and they must quarantine at home until the results are negative.
After refusing to clarify whether he had been immunized against Covid-19, there has been a lot of conjecture about whether the reigning champion would come to Australia.
Players must be double-vaccinated against Covid-19 in Victoria, where the Australian Open begins on January 17.
He has already indicated his aversion to the vaccination, and in November, his father Srdjan questioned his son’s participation in the first grand slam of the 2022 season, accusing organizers of “blackmail.”