"There were many mistakes made, on many different parts, but the biggest one was started all by Novak Djokovic" - Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova recently suggested that Novak Djokovic's unwillingness to get vaccinated is what ultimately led to the Serb's downfall with regards to his deportation from Australia. However, the American believes that others, too, are at fault in the visa fiasco.
Djokovic was deported from Australia late on Sunday after the Federal Court upheld Immigration Minister Alex Hawke's decision to cancel his visa. The World No. 1 chose not to challenge the decision and made his way back home.
The Serb committed a few errors on his part. These include failing to oversee the incorrect details filled in on his travel declaration form and attending public events while infected with COVID-19 back in December.
Many have squared the blame on the Federal Government and Tennis Australia for granting Djokovic a visa and medical exemption in the first place. They have also been criticized for not offering the defending champion and fans enough clarity on exemption rules.
Having said that, some reckon the entire mess could have been avoided if Djokovic had gotten vaccinated against COVID-19 like many of his peers. And while speaking on Tennis Channel, Martina Navratilova seemed to be hinting at that very point.
"Novak is on a plane as we speak, back to Europe. It's just so unfortunate that we're talking about this rather than tennis," Navratilova began. "So now that we have clarity as you said, now we can talk about tennis. But bottomline it goes back to - there were so many mistakes made, on so many different parts, many unforced errors but the biggest one (was) started all by Novak."
"This was not the kind of pre-tournament publicity that people wanted no matter how much attention this got Internationally."
@jon_wertheim | @DjokerNole | #TCLive https://t.co/M66ndEAwoh
Had the nine-time champion been vaccinated, the need for a medical exemption would never have arisen, as well as all the trouble that followed. This is likely why Navratilova feels the Serb being unvaccinated was the root cause of all his troubles.
"It's been sickening to watch" - Lindsay Davenport on the Novak Djokovic saga
Lindsay Davenport also gave her two cents on the issue while appearing alongside Navratilova on Tennis Channel.
The former Australian Open champion began by pointing out how the Melbourne Slam has transcended from one of the most glorious events to a tournament filled with chaos.
"We've talked about the Australian Open, the last 10-12 years about just what an amazing Happy Slam (it is)," Davenport said. "We've had some amazing finals, we had Serena win over her sister Venus while being pregnant. We had Roger and Rafa's five-set final, we've had some of the most historic matches. And the last two years have been absolute utter chaos."
The former World No. 1 highlighted how the tournament has been a "mess" in the past couple of editions due to stringent COVID restrictions. Davenport believes that Djokovic, Tennis Australia, and the Federal government are all to blame for the situation.
"From players last year getting off a plane, being told 'oh you can't leave your room now' for 14 or 15 days and having no clue to this year possibly our greatest champion being detained at the airport for eight hours, then being sent to a detention jail-like hotel," she added. "It has been a mess and there have been as Martina said, so many mistakes from every level."
"From Novak himself filling out paperwork incorrectly, from exposing others when he was positive with COVID to also TA and the government of Australia for allowing all these mistakes to happen. It's been sickening to watch."