“This tournament is much bigger than any one person, Rafael Nadal and a few others have made their position clear" - Dan Andrews
Dan Andrews, Premier of Victoria, recently gave a nod to Rafael Nadal and several other players as he spoke to the press regarding Novak Djokovic's visa fiasco.
Speaking to news.com.au, the politician claimed that the Australian Open's reputation couldn't be tainted by a week of controversy. Andrews also insisted that Nadal's participation in the first Slam of the year was encouraging enough.
“I think this tournament is much bigger than any one person. It’s much bigger than any one person. You know, I think that Rafael [Nadal] and a few others have made their position clear. This is – this tournament is much bigger than any one person," Dan Andrews said.
“This tournament is much bigger than any one person and Rafa and a few others have made their position clear,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews tells reporters. He says Victoria doesn’t grant visas and it’s a matter for the immigration minister to use powers to deport Djokovic.
During the interaction, Andrews also weighed in on Novak Djokovic's situation, insisting that the Serb's vaccination status was not an issue that concerned the state government. The Victorian Premier also said that the Minister of Immigration was free to exercise his powers to deport Djokovic, before adding that the Victorian government had nothing to do with the state of play.
“The issue of who gets into the country and their vaccination status is not an issue for state governments,” Andrews said.
“If the immigration minister wants to use his extraordinary powers, that’s a matter for him. I don’t want to offer comment on that... We have not sought to convince the Commonwealth government to allow anyone in,” Andrews added.
“If the immigration minister wants to use his extraordinary powers, that’s a matter for him. I don’t want to offer comment on that … We have not sought to convince the Commonwealth government to allow anyone in,” Mr Andrews said.
Andrews' latest comments come in stark contrast to his sentiments about Novak Djokovic last year, when he rejected the notion of unvaccinated players entering the state of Victoria to play at the 2022 Australian Open. Andrews also took a thinly-veiled jibe at Djokovic back then, claiming that he wouldn't let "millionaire players who ought to be vaccinated running around the place."
Rafael Nadal has no problem with Novak Djokovic playing at the 2022 Australian Open
Rafael Nadal, for his part, was much clearer in expressing that he had no problem with Novak Djokovic playing at this year's Australian Open, which is scheduled to kick off on 17 January.
Nadal maintained in his comments to a Spanish tabloid on Monday that it was "fair" for Djokovic to defend his 2021 crown in Melbourne, as the federal court had reversed the Australian government's decision to deport him.
"Justice is the one to speak and I defend justice in all cases. Beyond whether or not I can agree or disagree with Djokovic in many situations, justice has spoken. I think it's perfect and it's totally right," Rafael Nadal said.
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