{"id":1208197,"date":"2022-01-11T13:34:54","date_gmt":"2022-01-11T18:34:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1208197"},"modified":"2022-01-11T13:34:58","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T18:34:58","slug":"australian-open-grants-novak-djokovic-1-rank-while-officials-still-mull-deportation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/australian-open-grants-novak-djokovic-1-rank-while-officials-still-mull-deportation\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian Open Grants Novak Djokovic #1 Rank While Officials Still Mull Deportation"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Faustralian-open-grants-novak-djokovic-1-rank-while-officials-still-mull-deportation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1208197&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/novak-640x335-1.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\">Organizers of the Australian Open on Tuesday officially granted Novak Djokovic the top seed at the tournament, which begins next Monday, even as the country\u2019s Immigration Ministry threatens to abruptly deport him for not consuming a Chinese coronavirus vaccine product.<\/p>\n<p>Djokovic has been the focal point of Australian pandemic politics for weeks as tournament organizers weighed the possibility that the player \u2013 the top ranked Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) player and tied for winningest Grand Slam competitor in history \u2013 would not be allowed to enter the country. Djokovic announced last week that he had received a medical exemption from Australia\u2019s vaccine product mandate and flew to Melbourne, where Border Force authorities immediately arrested him and tossed him into a migrant detention facility.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>The Djokovic travel saga has prompted international protests, culminating with a violent encounter between Melbourne police and Serbian Djokovic fans on Monday night after a judge ordered Djokovic\u2019s immediate release.<\/p>\n<p>The Australian Immigration Ministry has released multiple statements warning that top minister Alex Hawke could still exercise his personal power to override the court decision allowing Djokovic to stay in the country and deport him.<\/p>\n<p>Tennis Australia, the organization that manages the Australian Open, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.co.uk\/tennis\/story\/_\/id\/33040427\/novak-djokovic-ash-barty-confirmed-no-1-seeds-australian-open-defending-women-champ-naomi-osaka-seeded-13th\">published<\/a> its list of rankings on Tuesday, showing Djokovic officially as the top player.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cDaniil Medvedev, who beat Djokovic in the US Open final last year to prevent the Serbian player from capturing a calendar-year Grand Slam, is seeded second, followed by Alexander Zverev at No. 3, Stefanos Tsitsipas at No. 4 and Andrey Rublev at No. 5,\u201d ESPN noted.<\/p>\n<p>Sixth on the list is Rafael Nadal, one of two men tied with Djokovic for winning the most Grand Slams of any male player. Nadal initially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2022\/01\/06\/rafael-nadal-biggest-beneficiary-of-djokovic-australia-open-absence-demands-he-follow-the-rules\/\">criticized<\/a> Djokovic for refusing to receive a coronavirus vaccine product, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/sports\/tennis\/rafael-nadal-welcomes-novak-djokovic-to-australian-open-but-calls-vaccine-debate-a-e2-80-98circus-e2-80-99\/ar-AASD41Q\">wished<\/a> him luck in the tournament after his legal win on Monday, joking that, \u201con a personal level, I\u2019d much rather he didn\u2019t play.\u201d The men have a years-long rivalry that Nadal has been frank about, openly <a href=\"https:\/\/tennishead.net\/i-wanted-novak-djokovic-to-lose-the-australian-open-final-admits-rafael-nadal\/\">rooting<\/a> for other players to defeat Djokovic to secure his own rankings in the game.<\/p>\n<p>The decision to list Djokovic as the top seed in the Australian Open as the federal government threatens to deport him is a bold one that echoes the tournament\u2019s prior decision to advertise the event last month by <a href=\"https:\/\/ausopen.com\/articles\/news\/worlds-best-set-australian-open-2022\">promising<\/a> that Djokovic would be there.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDefending champion Djokovic will play for an incredible 10th Australian Open trophy \u2014 and a men\u2019s record 21st major singles title \u2014 and will be the favourite in a draw which showcases 49 of the world\u2019s top 50 including world No.2 Daniil Medvedev, who beat top-ranked Djokovic in this year\u2019s US Open final,\u201d an Australian Open press release read in December, published amid conflicting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2021\/12\/10\/australia-pm-steps-in-as-officials-bicker-over-vaccine-mandate-for-tennis-star-novak-djokovic\/\">reports<\/a> that Prime Minister Scott Morrison would block Djokovic from entering the country.<\/p>\n<p>While the Australian court system rebuked the federal government for detaining Djokovic without giving him sufficient time to understand why his documents appearing to show a medical exemption to the vaccine product requirement were insufficient, the Immigration Ministry asserted several times \u2014 most recently on Monday \u2014 that it could remove Djokovic from the country at any time.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cMinister Hawke is considering whether to cancel Mr. Djokovic\u2019s visa under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act,\u201d the Ministry <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/karenlsweeney\/status\/1480766052896100352\">warned<\/a>. \u201cIn line with due process, Minister Hawke will thoroughly consider the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs the issue is ongoing, for legal reasons it is inappropriate to comment further,\u201d the statement concluded.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>Deporting Djokovic following his legal saga would likely become an even worse public relations disaster for Australia following the court ruling and Djokovic\u2019s presence at the tournament. Djokovic himself posted photos from Rod Laver Arena, the central court at the tournament, indicating that he was already training there immediately after his release.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I\u2019m pleased and grateful that the Judge overturned my visa cancellation. Despite all that has happened,I want to stay and try to compete <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AustralianOpen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AustralianOpen<\/a> <br \/>I remain focused on that. I flew here to play at one of the most important events we have in front of the amazing fans. \ud83d\udc47 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/iJVbMfQ037\">pic.twitter.com\/iJVbMfQ037<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DjokerNole\/status\/1480529173789696001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 10, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The images would suggest that Australian officials, if they do deport him, granted him enough of a false sense of security to play in the tournament.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>Video of Djokovic actually training on the Australian Open grounds surfaced in national media there. According to the Serbian pro-Djokovic magazine&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraf.rs\/english\/3443277-djokovic-secretly-filmed-from-helicopter-video-from-novaks-locked-training-session-leaked\"><em>Telegraf<\/em><\/a>, Djokovic himself decided not to publish images of his training other than the photo on his social media accounts, but apparently Australian journalists invaded the training session with a drone camera.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Drones captured some shots of Novak Djokovic, who has been training at Melbourne Park ahead of the Australian Open \ud83d\udcf8 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BsaDOGuDDZ\">pic.twitter.com\/BsaDOGuDDZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SkySportsNews\/status\/1480817769360859136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 11, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">JUST IN: Novak Djokovic hitting on Rod Laver Arena <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AusOpen<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wwos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@wwos<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/9NewsAUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@9NewsAUS<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dglLUnjfmE\">pic.twitter.com\/dglLUnjfmE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Clint Stanaway (@cstanaway) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cstanaway\/status\/1480763711534993408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 11, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Australian officials are already dealing with significant civil unrest in Melbourne, where the tournament is held, in response to Djokovic\u2019s initial detention. The areas outside the migrant facility formerly housing Djokovic and the offices of his legal team became scenes of chaos last week as large numbers of fans, many of them Serbian, convened and called for his release. Outraging the crowd, Australian police <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2022\/01\/07\/australia-bans-priest-from-visiting-novak-djokovic-on-christmas-amid-widespread-protests\/\">blocked<\/a> an Orthodox priest from visiting Djokovic in detention on Friday, which marked the Orthodox celebration of Christmas. The priest held a liturgy outside that many protesters participated in.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday evening, the crowd moved towards the offices of Djokovic\u2019s legal team, where violence ensued after Djokovic\u2019s father, Srdjan, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insider.com\/novak-djokovic-father-falsely-claimed-son-was-arrested-2022-1\">claimed<\/a> that Australian police had detained his son a second time. A crowd <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/sports\/2022\/01\/10\/australian-police-tear-gas-pro-djokovic-crowd-after-legal-win\/\">surrounded<\/a> a vehicle they thought was holding Djokovic and began jumping on it and banging on its windows (reports have yet to confirm if Djokovic was, in fact, in the vehicle). Police used pepper spray on the crowd, prompting wild scenes in which at least one protester reportedly snatched a tear gas canister out of the hands of a police officer.<\/p>\n<p><em>Follow Frances Martel on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1641649586431000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2qb7s_yht6bVIqM52HrsX1\">Facebook<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1641649586431000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0TGxQie-dT9gk1AOJXZV6a\">Twitter.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Organizers of the Australian Open on Tuesday officially granted Novak Djokovic the top seed at the tournament, which begins next Monday, even as the country\u2019s Immigration Ministry threatens to abruptly &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1208197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1208197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1208197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1208197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1208197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1208197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1208197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}