Nadal says Serb must face consequences
MELBOURNE: Rafael Nadal had little sympathy for long-time rival Novak Djokovic, saying yesterday that he must face the consequences for not being vaccinated against coronavirus.
The world No.1 was stopped by border officials on arrival in Australia late Wednesday and his visa cancelled for failing to meet strict pandemic entry requirements.
The vaccine-sceptic Djokovic faces deportation but has launched a court challenge to stay in the country and play at this month’s Australian Open, where he and Nadal would both be chasing a record 21st Grand Slam title.
Nadal contracted Covid last month and said he was a big believer in getting vaccinated to stem a pandemic in which “a lot of people had been dying”.
“I went through the Covid, I have been vaccinated twice. If you do this, you don’t have any problem to play here. That’s the only clear thing,” the Spaniard said in Melbourne after winning his first singles match on the ATP Tour since August.
“The only clear thing for me is if you are vaccinated, you can play in the Australian Open and everywhere, and the world in my opinion have been suffering enough to not follow the rules.
“He made his own decisions and everybody is free to take their own decisions, but then there are some consequences.
“Of course I don’t like the situation that is happening. In some way I feel sorry for him.
“But at the same time, he knew the conditions since a lot of months ago, so he makes his own decision.”
Nadal launched his Australian Open preparations yesterday with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Ricardas Berankis at the Melbourne Summer Set tournament.
The Australian Open starts on Jan 17 and if Djokovic does not play, Russian world No.2 Daniil Medvedev will be the top seed.
Medvedev, who lost to Djokovic in the 2021 Australian Open final, said his views on the saga were “quite straightforward”.
“If he has an exemption, well, he should be here. If something was wrong with the papers and they didn’t let him in, well, that’s what happens sometimes,” the US Open champion said in Sydney. “I have a lot of problems with visas in my career.”
Italian world No.7 Matteo Berrettini expressed “some sympathy” for the predicament that Djokovic finds himself in.
But, like Nadal, he understands the backlash in Australia. “Nobody wants to be in that situation,” he said.
“But at same time, I can understand why Australian people obviously feel like they do. I think Melbourne had the longest lockdown in the world, so I can understand these people.”