Marin Cilic says he feels "very sorry" for Novak Djokovic, medical exemption saga as "definitely not a great picture for tennis"
Marin Cilic has given his take on Novak Djokovic's travel visa being rejected and expressed sympathy for the World No. 1's uncertain situation. Djokovic's 2022 Australian Open participation hangs in the balance after Border Force officials revealed they had canceled the Serb's visa on Thursday morning.
Djokovic announced he had been granted exemption permission to enter Australia on Tuesday and was set to travel to Melbourne. All players competing at this year's Australian Open are required to be vaccinated unless they are given a medical exemption.
However, the 34-year-old was detained for over seven hours after arriving at Melbourne Airport, after which his visa was refused. Djokovic's lawyers have since appealed against his impending deportation, and a final verdict on the matter is expected to be announced on Monday.
Speaking at a press conference after reaching the semifinals of the ATP 250 event in Adelaide, Cilic weighed in on the saga. The 33-year-old asserted that the situation does not paint a positive picture for tennis.
"It's tough to say, I mean definitely, you know it's not great picture for tennis to have something like this involved because it's, you know, transferred to the whole world," Cilic said. "Because we are in this kind of a time when we are expecting when is this Covid going to stop and we are still keep going and keep going."
The World No. 30 then admitted it was hard to give a fair opinion on the matter without knowing all the facts, but said he hopes a swift resolution can be found.
"For me personally, it's difficult to judge anything because I don't have - we all don't have the full information about his case and it's difficult to constructively say something objectively," Cilic continued. "You know, [whether] the Australian goverment should have or should have not decided this earlier or not - that's on their own decision."
"But looking at the situation, it's definitely incredible that this happened the way it did - especially to Novak, that he got here, this is still going on," Cilic added. "So, you know, definitely feeling very sorry for him and hope that this is going to be resolved very soon."
With a new generation rising and Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic in Grand Slam battle, it's an incredible time for tennis: Marin Cilic
Marin Cilic also gave his thoughts on the current state of the men's game. The Croat believes the current landscape could not be more exciting, and pointed to the rise of young players and the Grand Slam race between the Big 3.
"Now with the new generation, new guys getting in," Cilic said. "Now with Roger, Rafa, Novak in this battle, who's going to get 21st Grand Slam, or if they [get it]. So it's, I think just an incredible time in general for tennis. So, I believe in the end, tennis is going to still stay strong and be positive with everything."
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have all won 20 Major singles titles. Nadal is set to feature at the Australian Open, while Federer will miss the event as he continues his recovery from a third knee surgery.