I stand with Novak Djokovic

Is anyone else alarmed by the widespread glee at the way Novak Djokovic has been treated by the Aussies? The world’s top tennis player is in an immigration detention hotel in Melbourne, fighting to avoid being deported. Djokovic, who was granted a medical exemption to defend his title in the Australian Open, somehow snuck into the country with a bunch of tennis racquets before he was intercepted by the Australian authorities.

The media is labelling Djokovic’s case as yet another example of ‘rules for thee and not for me’. But it isn’t, because he hasn’t formulated any of the arbitrary and draconian Covid diktats imposed on the rest of us. Djokovic’s only crime was to adopt a ‘keep calm and carry on playing tennis’ response to the pandemic. He organised the Adria Tour in 2020 which was abandoned after he and a number of other top players tested positive. And this week, he flew to Australia to defend his title in a tournament he has won nine times.