The decision to grant world number one Novak Djokovic a medical exemption to defend his Australian Open crown has sparked fury Down Under.
Australian Open organisers issued a statement late Tuesday night to confirm Djokovic will be allowed to compete at the tournament, which starts on Jan. 17, and is on his way to Australia. He earlier withdrew from Serbia’s team for the ATP Cup, which started last weekend in Sydney.
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“Djokovic applied for a medical exemption which was granted following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts,” the statement said. “One of those was the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel appointed by the Victorian Department of Health. They assessed all applications to see if they met the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation guidelines.”
Tennis Australia said the process included the redaction of personal information to ensure privacy for all applicants. That means Djokovic was not obliged to make his exemption public.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said “fair and independent protocols were established for assessing medical exemption applications that will enable us to ensure Australian Open 2022 is safe and enjoyable for everyone.”
“Central to this process was that the decisions were made by independent medical experts and that every applicant was given due consideration,” Tiley said.
Victoria state Deputy Premier James Merlino last month said the medical exemptions were “not a loophole for privileged tennis players.”
“It is a medical exemption in exceptional circumstances if you have an acute medical condition,” Merlino said at a news conference.
The decision provoked a heated reaction from Australians online, especially since Melbourne endured months of strict lockdowns and harsh travel restrictions at the height of the pandemic.
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Having just competed in the ATP Cup, British doubles player Jamie Murray said it was clear why Djokovic was given special allowances.
“I think if it was me that wasn’t vaccinated I wouldn’t be getting an exemption.” After a pause he added: “But well done to him for getting clear to come to Australia and compete.”
However other players responded differently to the Serbian star’s exemption.
“I don’t know the criteria for exemptions ,apparently it’s an independent panel, he must have fit the criteria somehow, so, yeah, if he’s fit the criteria, then, yeah, he should be able to come,” said Aussie player Ben Duckworth.
Sitting alongside Duckworth, Alex De Minaur responded with a laugh: “That’s very politically correct of you.”
The Australian No.1 added: “I just think it’s just very interesting, that’s all I’m going to say. But, hey, it is what it is, I just hope that the other players that I heard there were other cases as well, they got exemptions, so I hope they will all fit the criteria.”
Last year, all foreign players had to spend two weeks in hotel quarantine before the Australian Open, pushing the year’s first major back from its usual mid-January start. There were also strict caps on crowd numbers, and days when fans weren’t allowed into Melbourne Park as coronavirus cases surged.
The 34-year-old Djokovic has won nine of his 20 major titles at the Australian Open. He shares the men’s record for most majors with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic hasn’t played at tour level since the Davis Cup Finals in early December, and has recently been practising in Spain. His posts on social media announcing his plans to travel to Australia were accompanied by a photo of Djokovic leaning on a tennis bag at an airport.
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