tennis

Djokovic admits 'errors' in urgent fight to avoid deportation

29 Comments
By Andrew LEESON and Mell CHUN

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29 Comments

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Good of him to admit these things after the court case

12 ( +16 / -4 )

Looks like he has been doing a bit of creative time-traveling, like Dr. Who!

20 ( +21 / -1 )

Novak Djokovic should consider his position.

An honorable man must take responsibility for his actions.

And think carefully his next action, respect through his own choice to compete unvaccinated, or withdraw from the competition.

Be a champion and withdraw.

16 ( +19 / -3 )

Apparently ticking 'No' instead of 'Yes' is a minor mistake for this liar.

But then if you are a vaccine denier you cannot be anything but a liar!

10 ( +14 / -4 )

His PCR document does not look right either - his negative test seemingly was recorded before his positive test...

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/does-not-match-djokovic-facing-fresh-questions-over-positive-test-results-20220112-p59nnf.html

12 ( +12 / -0 )

Novak Djokovic is undeniably a Tennis great.

Novak Djokovic could, right now hold his hands up, withdraw from the competition.

And move on.

Novak Djokovic legacy to such an illustrious sporting career must not fall on a reputation as foolish victim associated an anti-vaxxer

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Djokevic has now admitted to attending an interview while Covid positive, when he was legally obliged to isolate. He lied on his immigration documents. This man is a liar and of bad character.

Deport him and ban him for 3 years.

15 ( +19 / -4 )

This guy is good at lying - and that includes being in pain in the middle of matches.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

I felt obliged to go ahead and conduct the L'Equipe interview as I didn't want to let the journalist down

Oh, come off it. If Osaka Naomi can pass, then I'm sure you can too.

11 ( +14 / -3 )

Good luck Nole.

-11 ( +1 / -12 )

Australia has been extremely and unreasonably draconian with its own citizens regarding Covid. I don't see how they can possibly allow Djokovic to stay. If they do, Aussie citizens who were unwillingly forced into extended lockdowns and taking vaccines, unable to visit dying relatives, stranded overseas, lost jobs and businesses, etc. will be way angrier about this situation than they already are.

10 ( +13 / -3 )

None of this has any bearing on the issue he’s facing in Australia, which is just discrimination. He can’t be judged a public threat, there’s a big difference between actions in one’s home country and how he acts on foreign soil, knowing he might get deported (the foremost thought of all immigrants and nationals of non-Anglo-Saxon/Germanic peoples when traveling abroad).

Why even dig up this past event? It was just an attempt by the government lawyers to shamefully try to blame Djokovic for this mess when it was their own mismanagement of his case (either approve his visa and let him in full stop, or deny it and prevent him from even boarding the flight!)

Yet more shame on the Australian government. Sadly this farce is not finished, this is just the warmup and the tournament will be a mess. Basically this will be the only thing people will talk about. The jeers on Djokovic will be tremendous. I highly doubt he will win under this pressure. If he does, I think his status as GOAT will he iron-clad. No way Federer or Nadal could ever hold up to this kind of negativity, when they’ve been treated with kid gloves all their lives and cheered whether they win or lose (especially the Swiss).

-18 ( +3 / -21 )

"We are living in challenging times in a global pandemic and sometimes these mistakes can occur, ..."

Is he starting to buckle? What global pandemic is he talking about?

6 ( +7 / -1 )

He was already judged not fit to be admitted even before the new information.

Just a matter of which is more important to the immigration minister, the tennis lobby or the ire of the citizens who will suffer gross injustice if they let Novak to remain

13 ( +13 / -0 )

A person who tries to enter another country by misleading the authorities is treating that country with contempt. To do so during a pandemic, no mater what country is even more so! You live by the rule of the country you are trying to enter. Not by rules you think bestow the country you live. Which if I mislead that countries condition of entry I would be out or worse. having some fill out your entry form is not an excuse as the persons name declaring is liable when they have to sign that form.

14 ( +15 / -1 )

no way Federer or Nadal could ever hold up to this kind of negativity...

neither of these players would try and use a loophole to get into a country solely to avoid being vaccinated.

13 ( +13 / -0 )

when it was their own mismanagement of his case (either approve his visa and let him in full stop, or deny it and prevent him from even boarding the flight!)

Enforce national border control at point of embarkation?

Can you point to any country who does/can do that?

I honesty don't know and genuinely interested.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

After all the lock-downs in Melbourne over the last two years and nearly everyone vacinated,

If he plays he will get a wild reation from the crowd. Surely Australia has every right to boot him out now?

As the Judge said the other day " what more can this man do"

9 ( +9 / -0 )

As the Judge said the other day " what more can this man do"

Well, he could get vaccinated for one thing...I really hope the Aussie government doesn't treat this lying anti-vaxxer better than it treats its own citizens.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

admits errors = ****telling lies

9 ( +9 / -0 )

News say cases about to explode after today, let's see if that's enough to make a decision

2 ( +2 / -0 )

He wins his court case on a technicality. Now he may be kicked out of the country on a technicality.

As they say in tennis, "you win some and you lose some."

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Why did Novak Djokovic, ever subject his family to his anti-vaxxer ideology?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

This petty and vindictive persecution of man just trying to go about his business is making Australia look really bad.

If you want to host a sporting tournament you have to let all the sportsmen attend, or it just makes a mockery of the event and the eventual winner will not be respected as he will not have played the best opponents.

Stop this covid paranoia, drop all these stupid rules and restrictions and lets just get back to normal life.

-10 ( +1 / -11 )

Great tennis player. It's a shame he's being exposed as a selfish liar.

Canel that visa, anyone else would already have been sent home, or more likely fined into poverty.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Thanks many thanks Djokovic because if it wasn’t for your decision to complete in the Australian Open. The action of place you into detention with refugees instead of a nice hotel brought international attention the refugees plight and fight with Australian draconian immigration policy. The Office of Immigration has been hit for six and there is finally some favoritable movement on these refugees appeals. This only happen because of Djokovic decision to contest the Australian. Big thanks again. I never thought that a anti vaccers can do good. This prove me wrong.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

@ian ... I think only the U.S. does this. Many years ago I flew from U.K. to U.S., and had to go through U.S. immigration at Heathrow - if I remember correctly - and then again once at JFK. It was super weird.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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