John McEnroe describes Novak Djokovic deportation saga as an "absolute joke" and "total bull****"
Tennis legend John McEnroe has slammed the saga which led to Novak Djokovic being deported from Australia ahead of the Australian Open. The ESPN analyst criticized the way Australian authorities handled the situation, while claiming the Serb is entitled to the "very strong beliefs" he holds.
Djokovic was detained after arriving in Melbourne on Thursday 6 January, despite being given a medical exemption to enter Australia without having had a Covid-19 vaccine. He won a court case on Monday 10 January to quash the initial ruling for his travel visa to be canceled by the Australian Border Force (ABF).
But Djokovic was forced to leave Australia after Immigration Minister Alex Hawke's decision to revoke his visa for a second time, on "health and good order" grounds, was upheld in court on Sunday. He arrived in Belgrade on Monday following his deportation.
Novak Djokovic arrives in Serbia after deportation from Australia theglobeandmail.com/sports/video-n… https://t.co/drDAy0EVDG
Speaking on ESPN, McEnroe did not hold back in giving his opinion on the fiasco leading to Djokovic being unable to compete in Melbourne.
"[It’s an] absolute joke what’s gone on the last 12 days," McEnroe said. "It’s sad the way it ended. I watched it play out live. It’s total BS. If he decides not to have a vaccine and the Australian authorities say - 'you cannot go down there, unless you’re vaccinated' - end of story, it’s black and white."
The American then defended the 34-year-old for standing by his views and suggested this trait has helped him become one of tennis' greatest players.
"He decides whether or not he wants to do it," McEnroe continued. "He’s got very strong beliefs and he’s entitled to those beliefs. The guy’s won it (the Australian Open) nine times. It was gutsy [to go] in a way. I’ve got to hand it to him. I’ve got seven Majors, he’s got 20. The reason he’s got a lot more than me is because he’s willing to go risk that, to go down there."
"You’re talking about a guy that was potentially about to break Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s record (of 20 men's Grand Slam titles, which the Serb shares) and that he was willing to go to these lengths - 'I don’t want to get vaccinated but I’m going to do whatever it takes'," McEnroe added.
"You can’t tell him after he flies all the way there" - John McEnroe on Australian government's handling of Novak Djokovic situation
John McEnroe also asserted his view that Novak Djokovic should not have been told his recent Covid-19 diagnosis was not a valid medical exemption after arriving in Australia.
"Okay, let’s assume that he wasn’t going to play, but then suddenly he got Covid and then he got an exemption and he can play," McEnroe said. "You can’t tell him after he flies all the way there. That’s why people are up in arms, but nonetheless they granted this exemption. You can’t do this after that - it’s a joke."
The World No. 1 had been aiming to secure a 10th Australian Open title, having won the previous three editions of the event. He is level on 20 Major titles with great rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Nadal, a 2009 Australian Open champion, defeated Marcos Giron in straight sets on the opening day of the tournament. The No. 6 seed will face Yannick Hanfmann in the second round on Wednesday.
Also check out: Complete 2022 Australian Open Schedule of Play