The entire situation unfolding between Novak Djokovic and the Australian Open was entirely preventable. And no, this has nothing to do with COVID-19 or vaccines. This is all about dumb and/or entitled people doing dumb and/or entitled things. As the Kaiser Chiefs once mused, this is the modern way.
Let’s make one thing perfectly clear. Either get vaccinated or deal with the consequences that come with not getting the shot. This is the same principle as eating your vegetables when you were a kid. You may not have liked them, but they were good for you. And forcing them down meant you got dessert.
In the case of Novak Djokovic, dessert is playing in the Australian Open and vegetables are getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Unfortunately, the Serb wanted to have his cake and eat it too. That has landed him in some hot water.
Honestly, this wouldn’t even be a thing if anyone involved in the situation had a modicum of intelligence. Alas, the stupidity of modern times has prevailed.
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What are we doing here Novak Djokovic and the Australian Open?
Novak Djokovic’s team
As someone who has lived overseas for nearly a decade and traveled the world, I have never once applied for the wrong visa or left before confidently knowing I would be allowed to enter a country. And this was done without the help of others. Novak Djokovic is paying his team a lot of money to make sure these things are taken care of. Yet somehow, they applied for the wrong type of visa.
His team totally botched this. Here’s the deal, even if they were trying to falsify information, at least be certain you’re doing it for the right visa. Especially when traveling to a country like Australia which isn’t exactly keen on immigrants in the first place.
Australia
Why does Australia have any exemptions for unvaccinated non-residents to begin with? There is no need for it. Allowing non-vaccinated Australian passport holders to return is one thing. But letting foreign tennis players who are approved by an independent medical board enter the country is utterly pointless. Creating this loophole was always going to be problematic. And low and behold, we have a massive problem.
Novak Djokovic
Seriously dude, just come out and tell people if you have a legitimate reason to not be vaccinated against COVID-19. There are only two reasons as to why Djokovic refuses to do this. He either doesn’t have a good excuse to not get the vaccine or his excuse is so embarrassing, like maybe it would react adversely with his pubic lice medication, that he doesn’t want it going public. It is too late to save face at this point though. The tennis star needs to own it or move the fuck on.
Also Interesting: Here’s where idiots are getting their bad COVID-19 facts
