Serbs him right for daft post
NOVAK Djokovic thinks he’s been treated like a dog. In this he is correct. He got exactly what Pistol and Boo did when Amber Heard tried to sneak her mutts into the country.
The silver lining for Djokovic? Barnaby Joyce hasn’t threatened to put him down. Yet. It’s hysterical stuff. One of the world’s greatest athletes denied entry to Fortress Australia.
From the moment Djokovic shot himself in the foot by gloating on social media about being cleared for the Open, I’ve had nine thoughts about the nine-time Australian Open champion.
First thought: He paid dearly for that Instagram post. He should sack his PR adviser. It was the dumbest thing he’s done since slogging a ball at that US Open lineswoman. He should have done what Rafael Nadal did. Lay low until standing on Rod Laver Arena for a practice session.
Second thought: A medical exemption hasn’t been this murky since Maria Sharapova tested positive to a performance-enhancing drug and said she needed it because of a heart condition. I’m not saying Djokovic is taking a performance-enhancing drug. But if he can get an exemption passed by two review panels on medical grounds, what else does he have a clearance for?
Third thought: Does he cop a re-entry ban? The Department of Home Affairs website says: “A re-entry ban, also known as an exclusion period, means a person may not be able to return to Australia for up to three years.” Will his next match at Melbourne Park be in 2025?
Fourth thought: I’m going to throw my laptop out the window the next time someone from TA says Djokovic didn’t receive special treatment. Of course he did.
Fifth thought: Djokovic may play only one major this year – the French Open. Vaccination issues will arise ahead of Wimbledon and before the US Open.
Sixth thought: Hope his flight to Australia had plenty of room. Because he would have been rolling down the aisles when he thought he was in the clear. And yet his documentation always sounded as shonky as the doctor’s notes we used to get at university in the 1990s.
Seventh thought: His parents always say what he’s thinking. When he won his first Australian Open, his mother Dijana said in reference to her son and Roger Federer: “Long live the king, the king is dead.” His father Srdja said he wanted to fight the Border Patrol decision “on the streets”. He told Serbian media: “Tonight they can throw him in a dungeon, tomorrow they can put him in chains. He is like water and water paves its own path.”
Eighth thought: TA runs a great tournament – but this has been botched. Djokovic’s availability for the Open was announced via … Djokovic’s Instagram account. It took authority away from the governing body.
Ninth thought: The sportswriter in me wishes Djokovic was playing the Open. Barrack for the yarn and so forth. If he can return to Serbia and successfully reapply for a visa (or just get the bloody jabs), we’re in for a couple of weeks of incredible sporting theatre.