Serbian footballer asks why no one questioned Rafael Nadal's entry into Australia, claims Novak Djokovic is victim of a "political game"
Sydney FC footballer Milos Ninkovic has come out in support of countryman Novak Djokovic while insinuating that Rafael Nadal might have gotten away by breaking COVID-19 rules.
Djokovic's ongoing visa fiasco began with him being detained at Melbourne Airport for nine hours, following which his visa was canceled. He was then sent to a facility meant for detainees.
The Serb challenged the decision at the Federal Court and won his trial on Monday. However, some fans are claiming that Djokovic might have fabricated his medical exemption papers, pointing out the convenient timing of him testing positive for COVID-19.
The 34-year-old, who tested positive for the dreaded virus on 16 December, was spotted attending a few public events in the days after his test results were declared.
As things stand, the World No. 1 is a free man and has even been spotted training at the Rod Laver Arena.
Ninkovic, a two-time Johnny Warren medalist in Australia's A-League, spoke about the entire fiasco to Kurir. He expressed his annoyance that only Djokovic was detained while claiming that "many" tennis players received a medical exemption.
"Many tennis players received an exemption based on medical documentation, and only Novak was imprisoned," Ninkovic said.
Ninkovic went on to explain the COVID-related entry rules for Australia, mentioning how anyone who has tested positive for the virus will not be allowed into the country for 14 days.
"If you are an Australian citizen and you are not in the country, and you have COVID-19 in another country, you cannot enter Australia for the next 14 days," he said. "This applies to Australian citizens, but also to everyone else."
The footballer then included Rafael Nadal in the discussion, pointing out how the Mallorcan entered Australia within two weeks after announcing his positive COVID result.
"No one asked the question ... I remember Nadal announcing that he was infected on December 20 or 19 ... and he entered Australia on December 30 or 31," Ninkovic said. "Less than two weeks have passed."
Nadal announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 on 20 December and probably reached Melbourne on the 30th or 31st of December. But the Spaniard might likely have either tested negative before flying or met other health criteria listed on the Australian Government's website.
Hola a todos. Quería anunciaros que en mi regreso a casa tras disputar el torneo de Abu Dhabi, he dado positivo por COVID en la prueba PCR que se me ha realizado al llegar a España.
🤫 Don’t tell anyone…
… here I am 😉 https://t.co/x1F2BJnH3y
Nadal, unlike Djokovic, is double vaccinated, and that fact, too, might have helped him gain entry into Australia.
As such, Ninkovic firmly believes a "political angle" has led to his countryman facing such difficulties.
"From the very beginning, this is a political game. Every man who thinks with his head is aware of that," Ninkovic said.
"Novak Djokovic had all the necessary documentation" - Milos Ninkovic
During the interview, Milos Ninkovic explained that Australians generally source their information from news channels on TV. As such, he reckons that people Down Under have been brainwashed into thinking that Djokovic tried to "enter Australia by force."
"However, here, in this country (Australia), the vast majority of people form their opinion on the basis of the media and what is served to them on TV," Ninkovic said.
"Most of them think that this has nothing to do with politics and that Novak wanted to enter Australia by force. And that's funny ... Novak had all the necessary documentation," he added.
Also Check Out: Updated Tennis Schedule 2022