Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews dismissed the idea of World No. 1 Novak Djokovic ruining the Australian Open, saying the tournament is above each and every player.
The scandalous series of events between Djokovic, the tournament authorities and the Australian government reached its boiling point when the Serbian won out in his case against them. By doing so, he earned the right to play in the tournament despite not being vaccinated as per the rules.
Many fans and players have expressed their disgust regarding the situation, lamenting the rules being broken for one man. Some have also hinted at the tournament losing all its credibility, a statement Andrews did not agree with.
The Victoria Premier dismissed the idea of Djokovic ruining the Australian Open, stating that no player was significant enough to affect an entire tournament.
“I think this tournament is much bigger than any one person. It’s much bigger than any one person,” Andrews said, as quoted by Tennis World USA.
“You know, I think that (Rafael Nadal) and a few others have made the position very, very clear. This is – this tournament is much bigger than any one person.
“It’s a Grand Slam, the biggest thing in tennis in the first quarter of the year, every year. It’s a massive event for us.
“And it’s bigger than any one person, whether that be, you know, in the court, or on the court. This tournament is much bigger than any one person.”
Legal loops
“The issue of who gets into the country and their vaccination status is not an issue for state governments,” Andrews continued.
“I don’t issue visas, the Commonwealth Government does that. There’s a court ruling, whether that’s appealed is a matter for the Commonwealth Government.
“If the Immigration Minister wants to use his extraordinary powers, that’s a matter for him. I don’t want to offer comment on that. I stand by our comments.
“We have not sought to, in fact quite the opposite, we have not sought to convince the Commonwealth Government to allow anyone else. Quite the opposite,” he concluded.
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