{"id":1805663,"date":"2023-01-14T09:35:05","date_gmt":"2023-01-14T14:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1805663"},"modified":"2023-01-14T09:37:22","modified_gmt":"2023-01-14T14:37:22","slug":"unvaccinated-novak-djokovic-welcomed-with-open-arms-for-australian-open-a-year-after-deportation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/unvaccinated-novak-djokovic-welcomed-with-open-arms-for-australian-open-a-year-after-deportation\/","title":{"rendered":"Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic Welcomed With Open Arms for Australian Open a Year After 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\">28<\/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%2Funvaccinated-novak-djokovic-welcomed-with-open-arms-for-australian-open-a-year-after-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=1805663&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-->\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Novak-Djokovic-gestures-exhibition-match-1-13-23-ap-640x335-1.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\"   style=\"display:none\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\">Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic received raucous applause on Melbourne\u2019s Rod Laver Arena court Friday night, his first time back to the top Australian tennis stage since the government imprisoned him in a migrant detention facility and deported him for not ingesting a Chinese coronavirus vaccine last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"a8d-pre\">Djokovic is expected to play this year\u2019s Australian Open \u2013 one of the four \u201cGrand Slams,\u201d the world\u2019s most prestigious tennis tournaments \u2013 and is a favorite to win the contest, which begins Monday.<\/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>Djokovic visited Rod Laver Arena to face Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios in a charity match. He formed an unlikely friendship with Kyrgios during the vaccine mandate crisis.<\/p>\n<p>Djokovic is the most well-known tennis player to declare that he has not been vaccinated since he was infected with the Chinese Coronavirus multiple times since the outbreak in 2019. Scott Morrison was the former Australian Prime Minister. He was a conservative and Canberra implemented strict quarantine measures for its citizens as well as mandatory vaccinations for foreigners.<\/p>\n<p class=\"a8d-pre\">Djokovic had a legal visa that allowed him to enter the country early in 2022. He also obtained a medical exemption from the vaccination requirement. However, the government still imprisoned him and eventually deported him. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/health\/2022\/01\/14\/lawyers-australia-wants-deport-novak-djokovic-fearing-he-may-excite-anti-vax-sentiment\/\">Fear<\/a> His presence in the country would be a boon. \u201cexcite anti-vaccine sentiment.\u201d Morrison\u2019s government banned Djokovic from entering Australia for three years.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>The fallout from Morrison\u2019s coronavirus policies, fueled in part by public outrage over the Djokovic fiasco, preceded Morrison\u2019s party losing power. Anthony Albanese, a left-leaning Prime Minister, is now in power. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naa.gov.au\/explore-collection\/australias-prime-ministers\/anthony-albanese\">In office<\/a> In May <a href=\"https:\/\/7news.com.au\/politics\/federal-politics\/major-changes-to-covid-isolation-and-mask-rules-announced-c-8071340\">Elevated<\/a> Morrison\u2019s coronavirus rules for foreign travelers in August. Djokovic was able to use the new rules. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.com.au\/sport\/tennis\/tennis-star-novak-djokovic-arrives-in-australia-for-first-time-since-dramatic-departure\/news-story\/b615f55a89a0cf072bffb40fa6c7abc3\">Get there<\/a> In Australia, late December was without incident<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Great to be back in Australia \ud83c\uddfa And after 15 years excited to play in Adelaide, Kaurna Land \ud83d\ude4f\ud83d\ude4c Looking forward to play some good tennis \ud83c\udfbe\ud83d\udcaa Glad to have my brother Marko <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DjokoMare?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@djokomare<\/a> with me and my team for 2023 season <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/L5P2XAfjui\">https:\/\/t.co\/L5P2XAfjui<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DjokerNole\/status\/1608827941206593538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 30, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Djokovic played several warmup tournaments to the Australian Open before this weekend, but Friday\u2019s exhibition match was his first return to the Australian Open grounds. The head of Tennis Australia, Craig Tiley \u2013 apparently fearing the crowd would be hostile in light of last year\u2019s immigration disaster \u2013 warned prior to the match that organizers would show zero tolerance for hecklers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they disrupt the enjoyment of anyone else \u2013 boom, they are out,\u201d Tiley <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outkick.com\/novak-djokovic-australian-open-fans-kicked-out\/\">said<\/a> in an interview with the <em>Herald Sun<\/em>. \u201cWe don\u2019t want them on site. They can stay away or we will kick them out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"a8d-pre\">The crowd, heavily populated by fellow Serbians, showed nothing but enthusiasm for Djokovic\u2019s return:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Unbeaten on Rod Laver in five years, Novak Djokovic returns to the court.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel a bit emotional.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AusOpen?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AusOpen<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lMjGEEFVUD\">pic.twitter.com\/lMjGEEFVUD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 James Gray (@jamesgraysport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamesgraysport\/status\/1613810945750618117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 13, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIf there were any boos, they were drowned out by an overwhelming show of affection from an adoring crowd who had paid just \u00a311 ($13.43) for tickets and sold out the 15,000-capacity arena in just 58 minutes,\u201d\u00a0<em>i\u00a0<\/em>sports correspondent James Gray <a href=\"https:\/\/inews.co.uk\/sport\/tennis\/australian-open-djokovic-welcome-covid-vaccine-forgotten-2082186\">wrote<\/a> of the event.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt just feels great to be back in Australia, back in Melbourne,\u201d Djokovic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/tennis\/story\/_\/id\/35437439\/nick-kyrgios-novak-djokovic-all-clear-ao-tune-up\">told<\/a> the audience. \u201cThis is the court and the stadium where I created the best memories of my professional tennis career. Back in 2008 was the first time I won a grand slam, it was here, and 15 years later I\u2019m here again and I\u2019m competing at the high level\u201d:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">When you even the score \ud83d\udd7a\ud83c\udffb<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DjokerNole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@djokernole<\/a> grabs the second set 4-2 against Kyrgios to level the match.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AusOpen?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AusOpen<\/a> \u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AO2023?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AO2023<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/c7i1OrtNsh\">pic.twitter.com\/c7i1OrtNsh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AustralianOpen\/status\/1613824157757718529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 13, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"a8d-pre\">Djokovic has won 21 Grand Slam singles titles, more than any other man aside from Rafael Nadal \u2013 who won the 2022 Australian Open after Djokovic\u2019s deportation. Djokovic\u2019s first Grand Slam victory was at the 2008 Australian Open; he has won the title nine times.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>The extended saga last year that resulted in Djokovic not being able to play for a 21st title \u2013 he later obtained it at Wimbledon, which imposed less onerous coronavirus vaccine requirements but banned Russian and Belarusian players in solidarity with Ukraine \u2013 began in late 2021 with his father, Srdjan, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/health\/2021\/11\/29\/father-novak-djokovic-probably-wont-play-australian-open-vaccine-blackmail\/\">accusing<\/a> the Australian government of \u201cblackmail\u201d and stating in an interview that he did not believe he would travel to the country because of vaccine requirements. The younger Djokovic applied for a medical exemption from the vaccine mandate, reportedly on the grounds that he had recently tested positive for Chinese coronavirus, and received a valid visa. He was arrested shortly after arriving in Melbourne, however, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2022\/01\/06\/australia-forces-tennis-champion-novak-djokovic-dingy-refugee-facility\/\">tossed<\/a> into a migrant detention facility, treated as an illegal alien.<\/p>\n<p>Djokovic\u2019s arrest prompted mass protests outside of the facility by Serbian-Australian fans and immigration activists demanding the liberation of everyone at the facility, not just the tennis champion. Australian officials engaged in tense negotiations to subdue the protests and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2022\/01\/07\/australia-bans-priest-from-visiting-novak-djokovic-on-christmas-amid-widespread-protests\/\">banned<\/a> an Orthodox priest from visiting Djokovic on the January date those of the Serbian Orthodox faith celebrate Christmas.<\/p>\n<p>Srdjan Djokovic was also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/sports\/2022\/01\/05\/we-will-fight-them-in-the-streets-djokovic-dad-says-australia-holding-son-captive-over-vaccines\/\">expelled<\/a> from Australia and urged Serbians to \u201cfight them [Australians] in the streets.\u201d The Djokovic family <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2022\/01\/06\/god-sees-everything-novak-djokovic-sends-message-from-australian-migrant-facility-as-protests-grow\/\">organized<\/a> rallies in Belgrade against the Australian government.<\/p>\n<p>Following his deportation, in an interview in February, Djokovic stated that he was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/sports\/2022\/02\/15\/novak-djokovic-willing-to-give-up-greatest-ever-title-to-defy-vaccine-mandates\/\">willing<\/a> to sacrifice future tournament wins to maintain sovereignty over his body.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I understand that not being vaccinated today, I\u2019m unable to travel to most of the tournaments at the moment. That is the price I\u2019m willing to pay,\u201d Djokovic told the BBC. \u201cThe principles of decision-making on my body are more important than any title or anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Amid the scandal, Nick Kyrgios, a longtime Djokovic detractor who had previously described him as \u201ccringeworthy\u201d and a \u201ctool,\u201d loudly\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2022\/01\/07\/aussie-tennis-star-nick-kyrgios-defends-novak-djokovic-he-is-human-do-better\/\">condemned<\/a> his own government for the treatment of his rival.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLike these memes, headlines, this is one of our great champions but at the end of the day, he is human,\u201d Kyrgios wrote on Twitter. \u201cDo better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I just think it\u2019s crazy. I feel so sorry for him. Preparing for an Australian Open or grand slam is enough for someone and the pressures that he has are so unique,\u201d Kyrgios later elaborated on a podcast. \u201cHe\u2019s going for 21 slams, being Novak Djokovic preparing is already enough, and I feel with dealing with the media, already having a court case, winning that, and now being detained again from that, still trying to practice, still trying to prepare and now his visa\u2019s cancelled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just a shitshow,\u201d he lamented.<\/p>\n<p>The public comments resulted in the two connecting privately, dramatically changing the tenor of their relationship:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">That was one FUN chapter in the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DjokerNole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@DjokerNole<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NickKyrgios?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NickKyrgios<\/a> AO story \u270c\ufe0f <\/p>\n<p>Thanks for a great night! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AusOpen?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AusOpen<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TxzfI2cAA0\">pic.twitter.com\/TxzfI2cAA0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AustralianOpen\/status\/1613834199227846659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 13, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The two developed a friendship that became increasingly public and warm prior to their meeting in the Wimbledon men\u2019s singles final last year, which Djokovic won. Kyrgios\u2019s presence in that final was his best-ever performance at a Grand Slam alone; he won the Australian Open doubles title alongside partner Thanasi Kokkinakis last year.<\/p>\n<p>The Australian Open begins Monday. Given coronavirus travel restrictions under leftist President Joe Biden, at press time, Djokovic is not allowed to enter the United States and thus is likely not to be allowed into the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, the U.S. Open.<\/p>\n<p><em>Follow Frances Martel on\u00a0<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\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1673307294312000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2YtY-1BKgzV2epTFOH1yEF\">Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1673307294312000&#038;usg=AOvVaw1ougfmsvg9Ac9pnwkEJJ-_\">Twitter.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic received raucous applause on Melbourne\u2019s Rod Laver Arena court Friday night, his first time back to the top Australian tennis stage since the government imprisoned him in a migrant detention facility and deported him for not ingesting a Chinese coronavirus vaccine last year. Djokovic is expected to play this year\u2019s &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1805666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[4834,10484,5458,6184,12345,12344,3819,10324,14232],"class_list":["post-1805663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report","tag-arms","tag-australian","tag-bongino","tag-deportation","tag-djokovic","tag-novak","tag-report","tag-unvaccinated","tag-welcomed"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1805663","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1805663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1805663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1805666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1805663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1805663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1805663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}