MELBOURNE – Reaction from social media and elsewhere after Novak Djokovic won a legal battle to stay in Australia and play in the Australian Open after his exemption from strict coronavirus vaccine rules was questioned. Federal Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly reinstated Djokovic’s visa, which was pulled after his arrival last week because officials said he didn’t qualify for an exemption to a rule that all non-citizens be fully vaccinated.
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“For now I cannot say more but THANK YOU all for standing with me through all this and encouraging me to stay strong.” — Novak Djokovic, on Twitter.
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“I believe the judge made correct ruling in this case. Now Novak will have more questions to answer regarding his positive COVID test & subsequent public appearances. The plot just thickens…& thickens!!” — former player and now commentator Patrick McEnroe, on Twitter.
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“The series of events leading to Monday’s court hearing have been damaging on all fronts, including for Novak’s well-being and preparation for the Australian Open. Player medical exemption requests are made independently of ATP, however we have been in constant contact with Tennis Australia to seek clarity throughout this process. We welcome the outcome of Monday’s hearing and look forward to an exciting few weeks of tennis ahead. More broadly, ATP continues to strongly recommend vaccination for all players on the ATP Tour, which we believe is essential for our sport to navigate the pandemic.” — ATP Tour.
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“Beyond me agreeing or not with Djokovic on certain things, there’s no question that justice has spoken and has said that he has the right to take part in the Australian Open.” — Rafael Nadal, who is tied with Djokovic and Roger Federer on 20 Grand Slam singles titles, on Spanish radio.
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“Novak Djokovic has had his day in court, with all the evidence presented, and comprehensively won ... let’s respect the court’s decision and move to the other court where sport is played." — former Australian Open tournament director Paul McNamee, on Twitter.
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“This is definitely politics, all this was politics” — Djordje Djokovic, Novak Djokovic's brother, on television network Prva in Belgrade, Serbia.
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“I am vaccinated. It’s a nonsense battle: sooner or later everyone will have to get vaccinated. What’s happening (with Djokovic) is a show and I don’t know if this is good for tennis." — Spanish player Garbiñe Muguruza.
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“Only thing left to do is win the trophy again and leave town never to return ...” — American player John Isner.
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More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports