The nine-time champion will not defend his title after he was sent back from Australia on an extraordinary day
Novak Djokovic’s hopes of returning to the Australian Open and competing for a record 21st grand slam title and a shot at tennis immortality crashed in astonishing fashion on Thursday as he was denied entrance into Melbourne, Victoria at the airport and his visa was cancelled due to insufficient evidence to support a medical exemption. His journey to that moment reveals much about him.
Towards the end of last year, as thoughts shifted to the season ahead, and players considered their participation at Melbourne Park, Djokovic gave an interview to Serbian publication Blic. He described questions about his vaccination status as “inappropriate” and he bemoaned the role of the media. He was pointedly direct: “Your editors can take what I have just said and turn it into a scandal,” he said. “I do not want to be a part of that storm.”
