"Somewhere between Tennis Australia, the state of Victoria & the immigration authorities, there were probably more fans of Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal than Novak Djokovic" - Boris Becker
Boris Becker recently remarked that Novak Djokovic's lack of popularity compared to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal could have proved costly during the Serb's ongoing visa fiasco.
Djokovic has been detained at a facility in Melbourne since his visa was canceled on Wednesday. The World No. 1 entered the island nation with a medical exemption to play at the Australian Open, which he expected would give him clearance at the border.
In an interview with Bild, Boris Becker admitted that he does not know whom to blame in this fiasco. He remarked, perhaps jokingly, that the authorities involved might be partisan towards Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. This may have led to their actions against Djokovic, since the Serb could be the first amongst the trio to win Slam no. 21.
“I don't know who's the bad guy in this story,” Boris Becker said. "But somewhere between the Australian Tennis Association (Tennis Australia), the state of Victoria and the immigration authorities, there were probably more fans of Federer or Nadal than Djokovic."
Becker firmly believes that Djokovic would not have traveled to Australia if he had sensed any errors in his papers.
"If the papers he received had not been okay, Novak would never have got on the plane. After all, he is not an idiot," Becker added.
The Australian Border Force detained and questioned Djokovic for close to nine hours after he landed. They ultimately deemed that the Serb did not have sufficient evidence to back his medical exemption papers.
Additionally, the Federal Government seems to think that a prior COVID-19 infection -- which was the basis of Djokovic's case -- cannot be deemed as reason enough to enter the country unvaccinated.
As things stand, Djokovic is awaiting trial, scheduled for Monday. Should the court rule in his favor, he will be allowed to play in the first Slam of the year. If not, the 34-year-old will have no choice but to leave Australia at the earliest.
It also recently emerged that Djokovic was given clearance for a quarantine-free arrival into Australia by the Department of Home Affairs on 1 January. As such, fingers began to be pointed at Tennis Australia for the entire fiasco; however, they have denied such allegations.
Novak Djokovic's former coach also highlighted that the 20-time Major champion would face numerous obstacles like poor physical preparation and a hostile crowd should he receive the court's clearance to play at the Australian Open.
"Then he starts at below zero," says Novak's former coach. “He can't prepare at the moment, he's just sitting in the hotel room. The Australian audience will certainly not receive him very friendly either. This is a Mount Everest that he would have to climb there. But if anyone manages the impossible, it's Djokovic."
"If Novak Djokovic wants to continue his career, I strongly advise him to have a vaccination" - Boris Becker
In the interview, Boris Becker urged Novak Djokovic to get vaccinated. Djokovic's legal documents submitted by his lawyers this weekend confirmed the Serb's unvaccinated status.
Given the strict rules being adopted by several nations across the world, Djokovic could find it difficult to travel and play at numerous tournaments.
“If he is sent back, Novak will have to rethink a few things. If he wants to continue his career, I strongly advise him to have a vaccination," Becker said. "Does he want this discussion before every tournament? In any case, he cannot go on like this. "
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