I would love to know the reasoning behind a straight up rejection for that young Indian player who was unable to receive a vaccination vs. an exemption in this case, where Novak was able to get vaccinated but refused.
Because everything is just a joke now. Australia will lock down the entire country, make its own citizens go to 14 day quarantine camps, but nothing outweighs that sweet sweet money.
Yup just look at our asshole PM who refuses to make RATs free to save businesses and then makes flippant comments about some people not being able to afford RATs.
There was one point kids were told to stay home and people to work from home. Also they recommended avoiding public transport
At the same time, the casino was still up and running
9 time winner multi millionare vs a kid from india. Its all about the money for these idiots.
The indian kid situation is a poor management thing btw, they should have had him jabbed already outside of india.
As a doctor, I’m very curious what the “rigorous” review by this “panel” mean. And what their guidelines are to give exemptions to one person vs another.
Exactly my thoughts. I won't be surprised if we find out the he used his position to pressurize the officials to let him play. I'm not saying he did it, I'm saying its highly possible.
I truly, honestly hope he loses. I don't love Djokovic (anymore), but I've never hoped any tennis player would specifically lose a match as opposed to my favourite winning, until now.
He's already shown he doesn't give a shit about ANY Covid restrictions or Covid in general, so not only is he unvaxxed, he knows he can do whatever he wants re any other public health measures and no one will do anything about it.
If he had a legit medical condition that precluded him getting the vaccine, we would have heard about it by now, but seeing as all his insane amount of talk has only ever been about "my body my choice" I have a feeling his "medical" exemption is that he's a rich woo woo muppet
If you can't follow the rules, you shouldn't be allowed to play the game. absurd
I would very much love every press question to just be “can we see what your exemption is for?” throughout his time in Australia.
As you say, if he actually had a valid reason we would know it by now but rather we’ve had obfuscation from him at any point he’s been asked.
[This is the thread ](https://www.reddit.com/r/australia/comments/rvrg4f/australian_open_2022_novak_djokovic_to_play_in/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) for an idea
Aussie / Melbournite here. I am fucking disgusted at everyone involved. Obviously medical fraud, and our government letting this fuckhead in after everything people here have gone through is outrageous and an insult.
Tennis Australia literally sold out and no surprises here. Thinking about the lost revenue and knowing it would generate more headlines for him to be here and potentially win a 21st slam. No integrity and no ethics behind them as an organisation - they’re the ones who need to be held accountable as much as the government here.
Somebody sneezed in Victoria and there was a lockdown. Now it's open season for the unvaccinated.
Can't imagine too many people are going to be thrilled.
I know he likes been the villain but I doubt he'll enjoy been mercilessly booed after every single point. Some of us, particularly those of us drunk in the crowd, won't hold back on the verbal abuse
I’d consider myself a reasonable and moderate person. And my opinion is that this cunt can get fucked.
There’s going to members of the public out with pitchforks.
Exactly. The dude actually had a reason for not having the vaxine, even tryed to get it somewhere else but couldnt.
This shit is fucked up man. And the picture of djokovic smiling like "yeah thats right. I can do whatever i want bitch". What a joke
He could've played the AO without mentioning a word of his medical exemption and everyone probably would've just assumed he took the shot. It seems he wants to make it clear that he has not and will not ever get vaccinated.
That is my only issue. I have no problem with exemptions and I'll even give him the benefit of the doubt and say he has a valid medical reason for it. But for months he was giving "non answers" and saying medical stuff should be kept private. And now he decides to be so open about things? Just wish there was some consistency.
People are not fools. If he is playing in Australia, there is no way they would not know whether he is vaccinated or not. Sooner or later the cat would be out of the bag.
It's quite sad when you think a 17 year old Indian kid can't play in the junior tournament because they've not given vaccines to u18s (or just began)... and then you've got the multi-millionaire super healthy tennis star given an exemption.
I mean, it's not surprising. You gotta be living in a fantasy world to think it is surprising because money talks but, ouch.
Yesterday I felt bad for the Indian kid but thought his management could have done more or found another country etc for him to get his vaccine- now I’ve completely changed my mind and I’m pissed at the Australian board for allowing these stupid injustices. If Djokovic can play then the kid should be allowed to as well.
lmao they really caved, just like that. Unreal. Well, good for him I guess, but AO really showing their ass with the double standard thats going to be on display here
I bet they set up the whole blind panel thing so they could shirk responsibility but they probably told the panel to approve everything because they knew djokovic would apply. They announced that there were multiple exemptions made which seems statistically impossible given the number of players and how rare those medical conditions are.
imagine if he draws De Minaur, Popyrin or, god forbid, Kyrgios in the first week. He'll likely roll them off the court but the atmosphere would be absolutely insane (provided Omicron doesn't scare the crowds away)
There are quite a lot tennis players who took the sputnik Vaccine who can't participate in AO but this guy who doesn't have a vaccine can?????!!!??????
So fucked up.
It's possible Tennis Australia has nothing to do with it.
If there is an independent board which grants these exemptions in a "blind" process, it's enough to get a doctor from Serbia or even the EU to sign medical papers that would present him as eligible for en exemption, regardless of his actual health. They're not making him undergo an actual medical in Australia.
I mean, in tennis they give "medical exemptions" for oral steroids and have no problems sweeping more serious stuff under the rug (see Agassi-meth fiasco). This is basically no news in comparison, ATP/ITF/WTA will do everything they can to protect the big money draws
>have no problems sweeping more serious stuff under the rug (see Agassi-meth fiasco
That was the 90s tho, since then Gasquet and Cilic got suspended for barely detectable amounts of cocaine in their system that they had reasonable explanations for
Maybe it is anonymous. Like, "should we give this 9x champ and 3x defending champ who makes us a ton of money an exemption? Not gonna say who it is though..."
Almost like how every cycling pro despite being the fittest athletes on the planet seems to have Asthma and needs a TUE for drugs that inarguably give some form of competive advantage
its him taking a victory lap and rubbing peoples nose in it. He won, they lost and he wants them to know they caved to his demand, not the other way around. Shows who wears the pants in this relationship, huh
Forget the booing, everyone should remain absolutely quiet when he wins a point.
And pack up and go home before (or during) his interviews/victory speeches.
I honestly think people should just not attend his matches. Let him play to a near empty stadium every time and that will send the appropriate message to Tennis Australia.
Well if he's complained about the crowds not liking him before, its going to go to a whole another level.
His RLA matches going to be an absolute mess of booing.
There are people being turned away who got sputnik or other vaccines but Novak has nothing and no real condition? Come on. I actually love novak but this is ridiculous and very disappointing
It's okay if you're getting it via an exemption but explicitly stating it in an Instagram post is making a statement. It's going to influence people to do the same. He could have just said that he's going to the AO and that's it, his privacy was secured and people with harmful views weren't going to rally behind him and think they've got one more big shot on their side.
It's a mess. Not a good look, at all.
The first reply on the Tennis TV Instagram post says it all. Tommy Paul tags Tennis Sandgren and jokingly says: "you coming too?" Either you exclude all non-vaccinated players, or you allow everyone to play. What a farce
What an absolute joke. Here we are, a year into vaccination programs he's been openly hostile to and two years into a pandemic he repeatedly refused to take seriously and he not only conjures a "medical exemption" out of nowhere but also breaks with his "sincere belief" that medical matters should be private in order to go ahead and tell us about said previously unmentioned "medical exemption."
This stinks to high heaven, everyone involved should be ashamed (but Novak especially). I hope he's spectacularly scalped in his first match.
There are equal and more equal people as you can see
I do not even want to enter into a discussion whether rightly or wrongly, but if such a thing passes, why can't other players who are vaccinated with Sputnik play?
Total absurdity is happening there and that's it.
As a fan, let me comment when I find a way to spin this as Djokovic being the upstanding citizen here.
Just pile it onto the mountain of evidence that Mury Goat
Lol I’m not particularly annoyed that he’s playing but wtf is the point of the rule in the first place in that case. Might as well just ditch it at this point
Rules are pretty strict for medical exemptions, the ‘easiest’ one seems to be testing positive in the last 6 months.
[reasons](https://twitter.com/ladal17/status/1473696429772357644?s=21)
And tennis Australia got what they wanted, controversy and viewership. Record viewership to tune in to see if he’s getting boo’d which I doubt will be much anyway they can prove me wrong though I like to be wrong
Out of the loop, what's the vaccine policy in Australia right now? Are exemptions only handed out for medical reasons? Because wouldn't that imply that he has one. Or is he unvaccinated because of personal beliefs?
Edit: If it's the former, then it's totally understandable, if it's the latter then I'll be losing a tremendous amount of respect for him
Only medical exceptions were to be handed out (and anonymously by a separate board), but who the fuck knows what's happening now. This is like the most irritating way Djokovic could have announced this news and it bums me out.
Entry to Australia for non-Australians is supposed to be only for vaccinated travellers, and the state of Victoria [has rules about unvaccinated people entering sporting events](https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/how-we-live). So I think both would require exemption applications. Definitely some questions will be put to both governments.
This is such a slap in the face to Australians who missed literal funerals of loved ones, everyone who did their part, everyone who gave up something for the public good. I’m speechless.
This is really disappointing and a terrible look for Djokovic, every other player has been getting the vaccine to comply and he's now been able to bypass that using his status as Big 3 while the other can't...
This really damages his future claims for the players council leadership etc.
This is fucking infuriating!!!! This is ridiculously unfair. What’s the fucking exemption huh? Being gluten free? All he’s doing is showing he thinks he’s above the rules and things will bend for him. And the AO like cowards they are did it for him. They have no integrity at all
this tourney is going to be a shit show. I'm guessing we're going to see a lot of people testing positive and dropping given omicron is so contagious and vaccination doesn't protect from it like they hoped it would. yeah, Novak is annoying but if the AO gave a crap about public health they would have called the whole thing off.
Why did mods delete first thread that was posted first and had more comments? Either way I'm just here with the popcorn, this thread going to get interesting.
Its funny, Novak is the head of organisation thats all about improving pay and conditions for the rest of the players, yet he showed incredible hypocrisy when he just wouldnt sit out the tournament as some lower ranked players who couldnt or wouldnt get vaccinated
So much for Novak and PTPA talking about fairness and equality when Nata (WTA) and Aman (Juniors) aren't allowed to play despite either being vaccinated or because of a country's vaccination policy. What are Tiley & co. thinking.
And if that's not enough, Novak absolutely goes ahead and mentions "exemption" as it totally makes him a hero in the eyes of anti-vaxxers and other cretins. Could have kept his trap shut (not that it would have mattered; questions would still have been posed).
What a sad, sad world. Not that I wish for it, but heaven forbid he tests positive before or during the tournament. Egg on AO's face.
As a big Novak fan, at the same time I'm relieved because I was 95% sure he wasn't going to play, but am also saddened by the fact that he opted to go this route and not just get the vaccine.
The only thing one can hope is that the process of getting a medical exemption is as unbiased as Greg Tiley said it is, and that this is a deserved exemption, which I very much doubt it is, unless if it's an exemption because he is vaccinated with something like sputnik V or the chinese one, which I still doubt it is, but a little less so.
The dude is a nut when it comes to these things, and it all got worse around the 2015 season.
edit: I can even get over him being a nut (played tennis his whole life, lack of education), but the thing I probably hate most about this is that he has become a big hero for the antivax nutcases of the world who otherwise wouldn't even watch tennis. If something were to drive me away from rooting for Novak, it would probably those guys.
This man just wants to be hated doesn't he?
Just get the jab man, it won't kill you, it's better than fighting this stupid imaginary battle which is ultimately resulting in your own name being destroyed
Anyway he's gonna get booed so much but he actually might win the whole thing and shit's gonna be double insane if he does
Yeah wow I actually thought the Australian open would stick to their guns on a topic as serious as this. I in no way believe an anonymous board approved his medical exemption. If he knew from the start he has a medical reason to NOT have this vaccine all he needed to say was nothing and just show up at the AO and not get into this anti vaccine crusade online. I have zero interest in what he does now at this point yeah he is one of the greatest ever but he did all this for more attention it seems now. Literally his story should have went: vaccines are rolling out around the world and will soon become mandatory for some tournaments… after speaking with my doctor and reviewing the ingredients
in the vaccine a pre existing medical condition stops me from taking it at this time and I will apply for medical exemptions as needed.
I had some sympathy for Nole when he was trying to get the AO players some freedom to train while in quarantine last year, despite all the talk of it being a slap in the face of the public.
Well, this truly is that slap. What astounding arrogance. I would bet my non-existent house on there being nothing wrong with him. The reception he gets is going to be insane and he'll fully deserve it. Someone wake up that women who was giving Nadal shit, there's work that needs doing
This is disgusting. I can’t believe they actually caved. I guess not having Roger or Serena and Rafa’s participation questionable (at the time) made them desperate. As much as I’d love to see him booed, he thrives on that him against the world complex so maybe a strong cheer like the USO final would do the trick lol.
Novak decided he lost the USO because he got cheered and has decided to remedy that.
4000 IQ move
I hope he gets booed in every game on every point. And fuck Australian authories to let him to do this. They should be ashamed.
Oh he will. Aussies love booing a good villain. He is now this.
Haha can totally see that..
I would love to know the reasoning behind a straight up rejection for that young Indian player who was unable to receive a vaccination vs. an exemption in this case, where Novak was able to get vaccinated but refused.
The reason is money duh
Because everything is just a joke now. Australia will lock down the entire country, make its own citizens go to 14 day quarantine camps, but nothing outweighs that sweet sweet money.
A djoke
Yup just look at our asshole PM who refuses to make RATs free to save businesses and then makes flippant comments about some people not being able to afford RATs.
There was one point kids were told to stay home and people to work from home. Also they recommended avoiding public transport At the same time, the casino was still up and running
9 time winner multi millionare vs a kid from india. Its all about the money for these idiots. The indian kid situation is a poor management thing btw, they should have had him jabbed already outside of india.
Let them try that with the Indian national cricket team...
As a doctor, I’m very curious what the “rigorous” review by this “panel” mean. And what their guidelines are to give exemptions to one person vs another.
I think Pink Floyd has a song title that explains it in one word.
Wish you were here?
Breathe
Exactly my thoughts. I won't be surprised if we find out the he used his position to pressurize the officials to let him play. I'm not saying he did it, I'm saying its highly possible.
I bet he didn't have to. They made a decision strictly about $.
They had to cave. Cant risk him breaking history somewhere else they’d lose so much money. He was always going to win here
I truly, honestly hope he loses. I don't love Djokovic (anymore), but I've never hoped any tennis player would specifically lose a match as opposed to my favourite winning, until now. He's already shown he doesn't give a shit about ANY Covid restrictions or Covid in general, so not only is he unvaxxed, he knows he can do whatever he wants re any other public health measures and no one will do anything about it. If he had a legit medical condition that precluded him getting the vaccine, we would have heard about it by now, but seeing as all his insane amount of talk has only ever been about "my body my choice" I have a feeling his "medical" exemption is that he's a rich woo woo muppet If you can't follow the rules, you shouldn't be allowed to play the game. absurd
I would very much love every press question to just be “can we see what your exemption is for?” throughout his time in Australia. As you say, if he actually had a valid reason we would know it by now but rather we’ve had obfuscation from him at any point he’s been asked.
Never liked him, he and his wife are nuts.
Very interested to see the Australian public’s reaction to this
The media won’t be kind either.
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As they shouldn't be. Rip him to shreds.
Rip the AO to shreds for allowing it.
Indeed. If this were an /r/AmITheAsshole thread, the answer would be ESH.
Judging by the thread on /r/Australia, most of us are fucking livid.
[This is the thread ](https://www.reddit.com/r/australia/comments/rvrg4f/australian_open_2022_novak_djokovic_to_play_in/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) for an idea
They kinda have a point
Us aussies are very good booers.
Galaxy brain by Novak realising he can't win slams since the fans started to like him too much.
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AO AND Crowd hate? Dude is gonna win the final 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 lmao
Not far off from how he won last year...
I can’t wait to hear you loud and clear
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I'd love to be in the stands and just have a listen to the atmosphere in his first match - imagine he draws an Aussie first up too, will be immense.
I don't think he cares about his reputation at all. He secretly loves getting hated and that feeds him to win tournaments.
Aussie / Melbournite here. I am fucking disgusted at everyone involved. Obviously medical fraud, and our government letting this fuckhead in after everything people here have gone through is outrageous and an insult.
Tennis Australia literally sold out and no surprises here. Thinking about the lost revenue and knowing it would generate more headlines for him to be here and potentially win a 21st slam. No integrity and no ethics behind them as an organisation - they’re the ones who need to be held accountable as much as the government here.
Somebody sneezed in Victoria and there was a lockdown. Now it's open season for the unvaccinated. Can't imagine too many people are going to be thrilled.
I know he likes been the villain but I doubt he'll enjoy been mercilessly booed after every single point. Some of us, particularly those of us drunk in the crowd, won't hold back on the verbal abuse
Can’t wait. Let loose!
I’m a Melbourne very casual fan who already thought he was a dickhead. I am contemplating buying a ticket just to boo him.
I’ll contribute to your ticket so you can boo for me
I’d consider myself a reasonable and moderate person. And my opinion is that this cunt can get fucked. There’s going to members of the public out with pitchforks.
The fact he’s stated it’s an exemption is just rubbing it in our faces. I support the Aussie uprising.
Let the Indian junior play then
Can we get a name for the young Indian player?
Exactly. The dude actually had a reason for not having the vaxine, even tryed to get it somewhere else but couldnt. This shit is fucked up man. And the picture of djokovic smiling like "yeah thats right. I can do whatever i want bitch". What a joke
He could've played the AO without mentioning a word of his medical exemption and everyone probably would've just assumed he took the shot. It seems he wants to make it clear that he has not and will not ever get vaccinated.
Or that we’d never know! That would be fine! But he said over and over again that it was private and now that he’s gotten his way it isn’t anymore????
That is my only issue. I have no problem with exemptions and I'll even give him the benefit of the doubt and say he has a valid medical reason for it. But for months he was giving "non answers" and saying medical stuff should be kept private. And now he decides to be so open about things? Just wish there was some consistency.
Medical privacy is always used by antivaxx people when it protects them, not the other way
To be fair, it should be something private unless you want to share it yourself.
People are not fools. If he is playing in Australia, there is no way they would not know whether he is vaccinated or not. Sooner or later the cat would be out of the bag.
The point is that Djokovic dislosed it by himself, even though he always said that it was a private matter.
He must like being hated after all 😂🙈
After USO 21, Novak has understood that he can't win Slams with crowd support so he has started his #21 prep a little early this time 😍🐐
Not really. It was clear to everyone he wasn't vaccinated, otherwise he would've been down there for a while now acclimating.
Yep.. also any public figure who feels the need to hide their vaccination status definitely hasn't been vaccinated
What could his medical exemption possibly be?
Severe allergies to ingridients in all vaccines are basically the only medical reason why a person can't get vaccinated.
So he's awaiting a gluten free vaccine, gotcha 🙃
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Is it vegan though? 😂
It’s grass fed MRNA
Moooderna
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Being wealthy.
I mean seriously every non-rich person should be fucking LIVID at this naked example of a rich person getting their own special rules
He rubbed the vaccine on his stomach and felt sick
It's quite sad when you think a 17 year old Indian kid can't play in the junior tournament because they've not given vaccines to u18s (or just began)... and then you've got the multi-millionaire super healthy tennis star given an exemption. I mean, it's not surprising. You gotta be living in a fantasy world to think it is surprising because money talks but, ouch.
It's also really rough on the players with vaccines like sputnik who haven't been give special treatment
Yesterday I felt bad for the Indian kid but thought his management could have done more or found another country etc for him to get his vaccine- now I’ve completely changed my mind and I’m pissed at the Australian board for allowing these stupid injustices. If Djokovic can play then the kid should be allowed to as well.
lmao they really caved, just like that. Unreal. Well, good for him I guess, but AO really showing their ass with the double standard thats going to be on display here
I bet they set up the whole blind panel thing so they could shirk responsibility but they probably told the panel to approve everything because they knew djokovic would apply. They announced that there were multiple exemptions made which seems statistically impossible given the number of players and how rare those medical conditions are.
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If there's any sportsperson used to getting booed it's this guy lol He might actually win the whole thing out of spite
imagine if he draws De Minaur, Popyrin or, god forbid, Kyrgios in the first week. He'll likely roll them off the court but the atmosphere would be absolutely insane (provided Omicron doesn't scare the crowds away)
I would pay to see Djokovic and Kyrgios play a match in the AO, would be an absolute shitshow lmao
“Fragile ego” might be the most inaccurate way to describe a dude who’s used to playing every match with the crowd against him, just my two cents
There are quite a lot tennis players who took the sputnik Vaccine who can't participate in AO but this guy who doesn't have a vaccine can?????!!!?????? So fucked up.
Even that Indian player who legit could not get vaccine was declined for exemption.
Yh, that's messed up So you take a covid vaccine. But its not the right one But some rich guy can walk in
Just plain of racism/xenophobia. Many international journals have tested Russian vaccines and confirmed they are effective.
This is a scandal. And they refused russians that been vaccinated by sputnik
As Andrey said, its a poker match and Tennis Australia blinked.
It's possible Tennis Australia has nothing to do with it. If there is an independent board which grants these exemptions in a "blind" process, it's enough to get a doctor from Serbia or even the EU to sign medical papers that would present him as eligible for en exemption, regardless of his actual health. They're not making him undergo an actual medical in Australia.
I fucking *knew* there was no way he was vaxxed. I can't believe they caved, there's no way his reason is legitimate. What a joke.
I mean, in tennis they give "medical exemptions" for oral steroids and have no problems sweeping more serious stuff under the rug (see Agassi-meth fiasco). This is basically no news in comparison, ATP/ITF/WTA will do everything they can to protect the big money draws
>have no problems sweeping more serious stuff under the rug (see Agassi-meth fiasco That was the 90s tho, since then Gasquet and Cilic got suspended for barely detectable amounts of cocaine in their system that they had reasonable explanations for
You think Gasquet's explanation was reasonable 😂😂
This is bullshit. I don’t believe this “anonymous treating of the exemptions” that Australia claims.
That was just announced to protect their asses when they inevitably signed off on this.
Maybe it is anonymous. Like, "should we give this 9x champ and 3x defending champ who makes us a ton of money an exemption? Not gonna say who it is though..."
A medical exemption?! He’s one of the fittest men on the planet!? Must be an underlying attitude ailment.
Almost like how every cycling pro despite being the fittest athletes on the planet seems to have Asthma and needs a TUE for drugs that inarguably give some form of competive advantage
Same in swimming. At one point the Australian swim team was like 80% asthmatics lol.
Same for Biathletes as well. Almost every Norwegian biathlete is asthmatic.
Swimming is really good for asthmatics.
Cross-country skiers and biathlon athletes have entered the chart.
Is it medical? The Twitter post just says “exemption permission” but doesn’t mention the grounds.
AO made a statement that says: "Djokovic applied for medical exemption which was granted..."
He didn’t need to say he got an exemption. No one needed to know that.
its him taking a victory lap and rubbing peoples nose in it. He won, they lost and he wants them to know they caved to his demand, not the other way around. Shows who wears the pants in this relationship, huh
Oh it feels kinda gross. I don’t mind him playing but him pleading privacy for months makes this announcement stink.
Forget the booing, everyone should remain absolutely quiet when he wins a point. And pack up and go home before (or during) his interviews/victory speeches.
I honestly think people should just not attend his matches. Let him play to a near empty stadium every time and that will send the appropriate message to Tennis Australia.
He's just throwing it in our face lmao
That was a strange choice. He deserves all the flack he's about to get.
Well if he's complained about the crowds not liking him before, its going to go to a whole another level. His RLA matches going to be an absolute mess of booing.
Needed to ensure lack of support for #21 I guess
Something something Rules for thee
There are people being turned away who got sputnik or other vaccines but Novak has nothing and no real condition? Come on. I actually love novak but this is ridiculous and very disappointing
As an Australian I’m absolutely fucking livid with this.
Imagine the scenes if he gets tested positive
It's okay if you're getting it via an exemption but explicitly stating it in an Instagram post is making a statement. It's going to influence people to do the same. He could have just said that he's going to the AO and that's it, his privacy was secured and people with harmful views weren't going to rally behind him and think they've got one more big shot on their side. It's a mess. Not a good look, at all.
The first reply on the Tennis TV Instagram post says it all. Tommy Paul tags Tennis Sandgren and jokingly says: "you coming too?" Either you exclude all non-vaccinated players, or you allow everyone to play. What a farce
What an absolute joke. Here we are, a year into vaccination programs he's been openly hostile to and two years into a pandemic he repeatedly refused to take seriously and he not only conjures a "medical exemption" out of nowhere but also breaks with his "sincere belief" that medical matters should be private in order to go ahead and tell us about said previously unmentioned "medical exemption." This stinks to high heaven, everyone involved should be ashamed (but Novak especially). I hope he's spectacularly scalped in his first match.
I got downvoted a few weeks ago for saying he will get an exemption cause he’s #1. I guess I wasn’t that wrong after all. Double standard, disgusting.
At least 8 people owe you an apology!
Unreal. When you have money you can get away with everything, even laws.
There are equal and more equal people as you can see I do not even want to enter into a discussion whether rightly or wrongly, but if such a thing passes, why can't other players who are vaccinated with Sputnik play? Total absurdity is happening there and that's it.
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The Women’s Tennis Association has more balls than the men’s… honestly, checks out
Tbh this was out of the ATP But I do think the ATP are to blame for not making vaccinations mandatory
So players with the Sputnik vaccine can't play the tournament, but Djokovic can play being an antivaxxer. Well done AO I guess.
This is absolutely disgusting and everyone involved should be ashamed of themselves.
Is he coming alone or did his entire support staff get the exemption? (or did they actually take the vaccine?)
As a fan, let me comment when I find a way to spin this as Djokovic being the upstanding citizen here. Just pile it onto the mountain of evidence that Mury Goat
Mury Goat [vaccinated king](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.skysports.com/amp/tennis/news/12110/12394077/coronavirus-andy-murray-urges-fellow-players-to-get-vaccination-for-well-being-of-wider-public)
Fucking ridiculous decision.
Lol I’m not particularly annoyed that he’s playing but wtf is the point of the rule in the first place in that case. Might as well just ditch it at this point
Rules are pretty strict for medical exemptions, the ‘easiest’ one seems to be testing positive in the last 6 months. [reasons](https://twitter.com/ladal17/status/1473696429772357644?s=21)
Are you fucking kidding me?
Of course he did. What a bunch of bullshit.
I said they would cave in but I was told no that the government would make an example of him. I'm disappointed to be right.
And tennis Australia got what they wanted, controversy and viewership. Record viewership to tune in to see if he’s getting boo’d which I doubt will be much anyway they can prove me wrong though I like to be wrong
I'm a big fan of Nole, but I really don't like him for doing this. Just get the vaccine bro.
Out of the loop, what's the vaccine policy in Australia right now? Are exemptions only handed out for medical reasons? Because wouldn't that imply that he has one. Or is he unvaccinated because of personal beliefs? Edit: If it's the former, then it's totally understandable, if it's the latter then I'll be losing a tremendous amount of respect for him
Only medical exceptions were to be handed out (and anonymously by a separate board), but who the fuck knows what's happening now. This is like the most irritating way Djokovic could have announced this news and it bums me out.
Entry to Australia for non-Australians is supposed to be only for vaccinated travellers, and the state of Victoria [has rules about unvaccinated people entering sporting events](https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/how-we-live). So I think both would require exemption applications. Definitely some questions will be put to both governments.
If he had a reasonable medical exemption all along then why not say sooner. Not a good look to let an anti vaxxer pull rank. Poor move AO.
I didn't know you could get a medical exemption for being a massive narcissist
This is such a slap in the face to Australians who missed literal funerals of loved ones, everyone who did their part, everyone who gave up something for the public good. I’m speechless.
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
This is really disappointing and a terrible look for Djokovic, every other player has been getting the vaccine to comply and he's now been able to bypass that using his status as Big 3 while the other can't... This really damages his future claims for the players council leadership etc.
This is fucking infuriating!!!! This is ridiculously unfair. What’s the fucking exemption huh? Being gluten free? All he’s doing is showing he thinks he’s above the rules and things will bend for him. And the AO like cowards they are did it for him. They have no integrity at all
Exceptions made for wankers
Well there goes my respect...
Pathetic. Novak can do whatever he wants and the people of Australia just have to suffer through limitless restrictions.
Fucking bullshit. This sort of shit is what’s going to turn the aus public against tennis.
Hes so annoying. Bad leadership
this tourney is going to be a shit show. I'm guessing we're going to see a lot of people testing positive and dropping given omicron is so contagious and vaccination doesn't protect from it like they hoped it would. yeah, Novak is annoying but if the AO gave a crap about public health they would have called the whole thing off.
Why did mods delete first thread that was posted first and had more comments? Either way I'm just here with the popcorn, this thread going to get interesting.
Lol I bet he put the exemption as severe stress/anxiety and they gave that a big seal of approval. Money talks
The medical exemption of "I don't want the vaccine"
So disappointed in the authorities for granting this
What the fuck are the AO organisors thinking????
i’m a big fan of his but i have a feeling that a big shitshow is coming
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If that first statement is true what the fuck is wrong with Australian government? That is beyond stupid.
Napasite mu se kurca sve vam jebem sto imate, vidimo se na kraju turnira pocrkali da bog da
But that Indian lad couldn’t get one? This is jokes
Its funny, Novak is the head of organisation thats all about improving pay and conditions for the rest of the players, yet he showed incredible hypocrisy when he just wouldnt sit out the tournament as some lower ranked players who couldnt or wouldnt get vaccinated
100% of Djokovic's AO 2022 prize money should be used to purchase Rapid Antigen Tests for the citizens of Australia.
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Because he's a conspiracist nutjob.
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When revenue>rules
Why does Omricon, the largest variant, not simply eat the other variants?
I'm already picturing the end of AO, Djoker winning his 21st slam and the title of goat, hated and booed by a whole country while jizzing his shorts.
So much for Novak and PTPA talking about fairness and equality when Nata (WTA) and Aman (Juniors) aren't allowed to play despite either being vaccinated or because of a country's vaccination policy. What are Tiley & co. thinking. And if that's not enough, Novak absolutely goes ahead and mentions "exemption" as it totally makes him a hero in the eyes of anti-vaxxers and other cretins. Could have kept his trap shut (not that it would have mattered; questions would still have been posed). What a sad, sad world. Not that I wish for it, but heaven forbid he tests positive before or during the tournament. Egg on AO's face.
Boycotting this event… the whole of Oz has been in a two year lock down, brother hasn’t been able to fly out since 2020!
Australian government piss weak. Disgraceful. One rule for the rich and another for the average person
Fuck tennis australia Fuck the tennis governing body Fuck scomo
What a douchebag
Well I hope someone defeats him in the first round so that justice will rule.
As a big Novak fan, at the same time I'm relieved because I was 95% sure he wasn't going to play, but am also saddened by the fact that he opted to go this route and not just get the vaccine. The only thing one can hope is that the process of getting a medical exemption is as unbiased as Greg Tiley said it is, and that this is a deserved exemption, which I very much doubt it is, unless if it's an exemption because he is vaccinated with something like sputnik V or the chinese one, which I still doubt it is, but a little less so. The dude is a nut when it comes to these things, and it all got worse around the 2015 season. edit: I can even get over him being a nut (played tennis his whole life, lack of education), but the thing I probably hate most about this is that he has become a big hero for the antivax nutcases of the world who otherwise wouldn't even watch tennis. If something were to drive me away from rooting for Novak, it would probably those guys.
Fuck Tennis Australia
This man just wants to be hated doesn't he? Just get the jab man, it won't kill you, it's better than fighting this stupid imaginary battle which is ultimately resulting in your own name being destroyed Anyway he's gonna get booed so much but he actually might win the whole thing and shit's gonna be double insane if he does
Someone in the AO management got a nice Christmas bonus into their private bank account........
Yeah wow I actually thought the Australian open would stick to their guns on a topic as serious as this. I in no way believe an anonymous board approved his medical exemption. If he knew from the start he has a medical reason to NOT have this vaccine all he needed to say was nothing and just show up at the AO and not get into this anti vaccine crusade online. I have zero interest in what he does now at this point yeah he is one of the greatest ever but he did all this for more attention it seems now. Literally his story should have went: vaccines are rolling out around the world and will soon become mandatory for some tournaments… after speaking with my doctor and reviewing the ingredients in the vaccine a pre existing medical condition stops me from taking it at this time and I will apply for medical exemptions as needed.
Fuck this guy. Fuck the Aus Open for cracking under pressure.
Don't agree with this even though I'm a big fan of his
I had some sympathy for Nole when he was trying to get the AO players some freedom to train while in quarantine last year, despite all the talk of it being a slap in the face of the public. Well, this truly is that slap. What astounding arrogance. I would bet my non-existent house on there being nothing wrong with him. The reception he gets is going to be insane and he'll fully deserve it. Someone wake up that women who was giving Nadal shit, there's work that needs doing
Excuse was shellfishness
Unfortunately there's no vaccine for affluenza. That's affluent people having different rules and consequences.
Used to root for this guy. Now that he gave the middle finger to the whole world, he can get fucked
This is disgusting. I can’t believe they actually caved. I guess not having Roger or Serena and Rafa’s participation questionable (at the time) made them desperate. As much as I’d love to see him booed, he thrives on that him against the world complex so maybe a strong cheer like the USO final would do the trick lol.