Suggestions that Australian tennis authorities are seeking to exploit a loophole to get Novak Djokovic into the country are “absolute rubbish” according to Todd Woodbridge.
The world No.1 was yesterday named on the entry list for January’s grand slam tournament, a day after he was also unveiled as an entrant in the ATP Cup, which kicks off the summer of tennis.
The fact he’s on the entry list doesn’t guarantee he’ll travel to Australia, it merely indicates he’s either seeking an exemption or getting vaccinated.
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He has repeatedly refused to reveal his vaccination status, claiming it’s a personal matter.
The release of the entry lists for both the ATP Cup and Australian Open has ignited debate over whether or not Tennis Australia is seeking to get Djokovic into the country through methods unavailable to regular travellers.
“There has been some people saying Tennis Australia is looking for loopholes to get him in,” Woodbridge told Nine’s Today.
“That’s absolute rubbish, that cannot happen, it’s the government that makes those rules, and they’ll stipulate whether he can get in or not.
“A lot of this is going to play out over the next week or two.”
Tennis Australia yesterday pointed out in a statement that any application for an exemption is determined by independent medical experts and suggestions TA is seeking loopholes in this process are “simply untrue.”
“When you play a sport where you travel the world, you go to every country and you have to live by the regulations that are put forth by those governments, and that’s what the scenario is here,” Woodbridge said.
“He will be allowed to play if he meets the criteria and the regulations set out by the Federal Government, and the New South Wales and Victorian governments. If he passes those tests, then he will be able to play.
“He needs to answer those questions first, if he does pass those, I think it’s fantastic we’re going to have the world No.1 back in Australia, but he has to do what every other traveller does when they come into Australia.
“It’s not about entitled tennis players, it’s about what every other person has to do, and that’s what he has to do.”
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