US tennis star Tennys Sandgren has lashed Australian officials over its handling of Novak Djokovic’s entry into the country, saying the nation doesn’t deserve to host a Grand Slam over the treatment of the world’s highest ranked men’s player.
As news filtered around the world of Djokovic’s visa woes which could result in his deportation, the world No.1’s predicament has sparked fierce debate at home and overseas.
American world No.96 Sandgren has been forced to skip the Australian Open because of his vaccination status and has been vocal about defending the unvaccinated. The controversial player took aim at Australian politicians and even declared Australia should not be afforded the right to host a Grand Slam.
LIVE UPDATES: World reacts to Australia cancelling Djokovic’s visa
LIVE UPDATES: Warner comment underlines big Ashes change
READ MORE: Djokovic in guarded room after landing in Australia as dad speaks out
Sandgren also poked fun at comments made by Victoria’s Acting Sports and Major Events Minister Jaala Pulford.
“The Federal Government has asked if we will support Novak Djokovic’s visa application to enter Australia,” she said.
“We will not be providing Novak Djokovic with individual visa application support to participate in the 2022 Australian Open Grand Slam.
“We’ve always been clear on two points: visa approvals are a matter for the Federal Government, and medical exemptions a matter for doctors.”
In response, Sandgren tweeted: “LOL trusting the science once again.”
Sandgren made headlines last year for mocking quarantine requirements to compete in the 2020 Australian Open.
He was forced to spend two weeks in hotel isolation and labelled the situation a “joke”, two weeks after he called Australian Open boss Craig Tiley “a wizard” for organising an exemption for him to fly from Los Angeles to Melbourne despite testing positive for COVID-19.
During the lead up to the 2020 Australian Open, Djokovic showed support for Sandgren and other players confined to quarantine, while playing in Adelaide, expressing sympathy for those experiencing hardship.
“These guys and girls will definitely have a disadvantage,” Djokovic said at the time
“They’ve done their best to do some training in their rooms, but there’s not much movement — they couldn’t hit the ball.”
However, Sandgren didn’t meet the requirements for the 2021 tournament and didn’t apply for an exemption like Djokovic. The American accepted his unvaccinated status wouldn’t allow him to compete.
Sandgren has performed handily at Melbourne Park in recent years, with his best performances in Grand Slam tournaments coming Down Under, making the quarter-finals in 2018 and 2020.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!