opinion
Entry scandal in Australia
Title win for Novak Djokovic: The Serb is now also the cheekiest in the world rankings
The 34-year-old tennis world number one is allowed to stay in Australia until Monday – the court will decide whether he will stay longer
© Adam Davy / PA Wire / DPA
Novak Djokovic insists on being allowed to enter Australia with a special permit. His father calls the fact that he is going to court for this “a fight for the whole world”. This makes the tennis star one thing above all else: a master of overconfidence.
We have a winner! Tennis world star Novak Djokovic has secured the next title: He is now also a master of overconfidence. The “probably” unvaccinated person “probably” considers himself so important that a whole continent has to roll out the red carpet for him.
Because he still does not want to disclose his vaccination status, Melbourne Airport turns out to be a possible end of the line for the Serbs. For the Australian government, the medical exemption that Djokovic was granted by two “independent expert bodies” is not enough evidence in the first instance. Anyone who is not vaccinated or at least cannot prove beyond doubt why the spades is an impossibility, can look down under on the return flight from above.
Australia now has a unique chance at the entry discussion about the world’s number one cheeky. The country can prove on a global stage that the phrase “everyone is equal before the law” is more than a faded wall sticker in a law student flat share. The “Djokovic Files” (suggested title for the Netflix documentary that is sure to follow soon) must not set a precedent for rule breakers.
Free, free, professional athlete
Because the Novak Djokovic case is actually not about Novak Djokovic at all. It is (hopefully) the series finale of the discussion about the special position of professional sport, which did not just start, but especially during the pandemic. It is an often emotional and seldom rational debate about the benefits society gives to its athletic heroes. In the best case, professional athletes should mime 50 percent the knight in white armor and 50 percent the “guy with rough edges”. But very few are flexible enough for this balancing act, as Joshua Kimmich has already perfectly documented.
Djokovic is right about one point. As of now, your own vaccination status is in most cases (unfortunately) still a matter of personal freedom of choice. In this respect, a debate about the tennis star’s skepticism about vaccinations is a sideline. Just a game of thought: From March 15, the compulsory vaccination for medical personnel will apply in Germany. What consequences would a nurse expect who makes a djokovich fuss about his spades? Daring prognosis: the residence permit in the hospital would be withdrawn quickly.
Winter travel in Corona times: These rules apply in other countries
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“Fight for the Whole World”
During the pandemic, there were repeated cases in which Australians were stranded abroad due to strict entry regulations – sometimes regardless of deaths in their own families. This did not prevent father Srdjan Djokovic from calling his son’s rebellion against the Serbian news portal “Sputnik” a “fight for the whole world”. How wonderfully humble.
The ultimate match point would of course be if Djokovic had been vaccinated the entire time and was only concerned with the mystery. Perhaps we Germans would then have some understanding: When it comes to data protection, we are happy to forgive one or two quirks in this country. For the Netflix documentary, that would also be real film gold.
On Monday, the court will decide whether Djokovic is allowed to enter. Djokovic Senior: “We should all welcome him as he deserves!” Not a bad idea: on Monday, ideally with a return ticket. Free of charge, of course – thanks to celebrity status, of course.