"It would be a slap in the face for those who did the right thing" - Australian Minister on if Djokovic's visa ban was overturned

The Novak Djokovic-Australian Open saga is gathering momentum again as the 2023 season approaches. Australia's Shadow Home Affairs Minister, Karen Andrews, suggested that it would be a bad idea to overturn the Serb's visa ban before the three-year period is served.

Djokovic was deported earlier this year after he tried to make his way into the country to play in the Australian Open as an unvaccinated foreigner, through a special exemption. Andrews was Home Affairs Minister at the time of the Serb's visa cancelation and deportation.

The Shadow Home Affairs Minister opened up on the Serbian tennis great's chances of overturning his three-year ban. She feels that it would be unfair to Australians "who did the right thing and got vaccinated" if a multi-millionaire tennis player is allowed back into the country only because compulsory vaccination is no longer a requirement in Australia.

"It would be a slap in the face for those people in Australia who did the right thing, got vaccinated, did everything that they needed to do, if all of a sudden Novak Djokovic is allowed back into the country, simply because he is a high-ranking tennis player with many millions of dollars," Andrews said during an interview with ABC Radio Melbourne.

Andrews acknowledged that the rule change earlier this year no longer requires vaccination as an entry criterion into Australia, which gives Novak Djokovic a chance to enter the country. But Andrews stressed that there are many others who are also in a similar position as the Serbian tennis player, but are not celebrities like him, and that their cases should be given special consideration if the same is done for the 21-time Grand Slam champion.

"So if immigration now chooses to make a special announcement for Novak Djokovic, the obvious question is what are you going to do about anyone else in similar circumstances?" Andrews continued.

Djokovic also missed the US Open this year. The vaccine mandate in the US remained in place and he was not granted a special exemption to enter the country, effectively ending all hopes of his participation well before the tournament started or the draw was made.