Google News Prakash Amritraj: Novak Djokovic came in and now he is suffering consequences
by DZEVAD MESIC | VIEW 5222
Former world No. 154 Prakash Amritraj thinks the Novak Djokovic drama is getting more complicated by the minute. On Monday, Djokovic won his appeal in court and had his visa reinstated. On Friday, Djokovic had his visa cancelled for a second time after Immigration Minister Alex Hawke exercised his power.
"Look the plot's been getting thicker by the day and right now it's thick as a clam chowder," Amritraj said on the Tennis Channel, as quoted on Sportskeeda. "But first let me just say I do not think that we needed to have gotten here.
If you go back a little while vaxxed or no-vaxxed you could have made a rule either way. You get get vaxxed, you can come in play. You don't get vaccinated, you can't come and play. It's black and white, there's no grey area."
'Djokovic is suffering the consequences'
The Australian Open introduced mandatory vaccination for this year's event but an unvaccinated Djokovic was granted a medical exemption.
"But having gone into this grey area, let's just state the facts of the case," Amritraj added. "Novak got an exemption from the Federation, from two governing bodies and on that he came in. Now I'm not arguing for or against his life choices but simply based on that he came in and now he is suffering the consequences." On Friday, Immigration Minister Hawke announced his decision.
“Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so," Hawke said in a statement on Friday.
"This decision followed orders by the Federal Circuit and Family Court on 10 January 2022, quashing a prior cancellation decision on procedural fairness grounds. "In making this decision, I carefully considered information provided to me by the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border For. and Mr Djokovic."
