AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Djokovic flies out of Australia after losing court appeal
Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic flew out of Australia on Sunday after a court upheld the government’s decision to cancel his visa, capping days of drama over the country’s COVID-19 entry rules and his unvaccinated status.
The unanimous ruling by a three-judge Federal Court bench dealt a final blow to Djokovic’s hopes of chasing a record 21st Grand Slam win at the Australian Open that starts on Monday, dismaying his family and supporters.
The Serbian player went to the airport in Melbourne just hours later. Federal agents escorted him and his team from the business lounge to the gate, where he boarded an Emirates flight bound for Dubai. The flight took off shortly before 11 p.m. (1200 GMT).
In a rollercoaster ride, the world’s top men’s player was first detained by immigration authorities on Jan. 6, ordered released by a court on Jan. 10 and then detained on Saturday again pending Sunday’s court hearing.
Djokovic said after the ruling he was extremely disappointed as it meant he could not take part in the tournament.
“I respect the Court’s ruling and I will cooperate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from the country,” he said in a statement, wishing the tournament well.
Djokovic, 34, had appealed against Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s use of discretionary powers to cancel his visa. The minister had said Djokovic could be a threat to public order because his presence would encourage anti-vaccination sentiment amidst Australia’s worst coronavirus outbreak.
Chief Justice James Allsop said the court ruling was based on the lawfulness and legality of the minister’s decision in the context of the rounds of appeal lodged by Djokovic’s legal team.
“It is no part of the function of the court to decide upon the merits or wisdom of the decision,” Allsop said, adding that the three judges were unanimous in their ruling. Full reasoning behind the ruling would be released in coming days, he said.
The player’s family said they were “very disappointed” by the decision and the fact Djokovic had to leave Australia.
“Despite the scandalous behavior towards Novak, we believed that the sport would win,” they said in a statement.
‘KEEP BORDERS STRONG’
The player’s visa saga has fuelled global debate over the rights of people who opt to remain unvaccinated as governments take measures to protect people from the two-year pandemic.
The controversy became a political touchstone for Prime Minister Scott Morrison as he prepares for an election due by May. His government has faced criticism for its handling of Djokovic’s visa application.
Morrison welcomed the court’s ruling, saying the decision will help keep borders strong and Australians safe.
“It’s now time to get on with the Australian Open and get back to enjoying tennis over the summer,” he said in a statement.
Djokovic had been granted a visa to enter Australia, with a COVID-19 infection on Dec. 16 providing the basis for a medical exemption from Australia’s requirements that all visitors be vaccinated. The exemption was organised via Tennis Australia.
That exemption prompted widespread anger in Australia, which has undergone some of the world’s toughest COVID-19 lockdowns and where more than 90% of adults are vaccinated. The government said recent infection alone did not meet its standards for an exemption.
WEEPING FANS
But the player also had some support, especially in his native Serbia and from Serbians living in Australia.
Serbian prime Minister Ana Brnabic said: “I think that the court decision is scandalous, I am disappointed, I think it demonstrated how the rule of law is functioning or – better to say – not functioning in some other countries.”
In the Serbian capital Belgrade, Djokovic’s hometown, many support him though some felt he should have been vaccinated.
“I think Australia should be ashamed of itself and that the decision was not a just one. I am sorry for Novak as a tennis player and as a person,” said Danilo Mircic, a student.
“If I were him, I would get vaccinated and avoid problems in the future,” said Aleksandar Janjic, a middle-aged computer programmer.
In Melbourne, around 70 Djokovic fans, including young children, sang folk songs and chanted in the Federal Court plaza while they waited for the court’s ruling.
They gathered around a loudspeaker to hear the judge reading out the decision. Afterward, two women were weeping, while others started up chants for a short while before the crowd dispersed.
“What they did today is everything except justice,” said Natasha Marjnovic, 44, a Djokovic supporter wiping away tears. “They killed a beautiful sportsman and his career and for all of us who love tennis.”
DISRUPTION TO TENNIS
The men’s tennis governing body ATP said “today’s decision to uphold Novak Djokovic’s Australian visa cancellation marks the end of a deeply regrettable series of events”.
It added in a statement that decisions of legal authorities regarding public health must be respected.
Tennis Australia said it respected the decision.
On the tennis circuit, fellow players had become impatient for the media circus to end. But several voiced sympathy for Djokovic following his legal defeat.
“The situation has not been good all round for anyone. It feels everything here happened extremely last minute and that’s why it became such a mess,” said former world No. 1 Andy Murray.
-Reuters
Jannik Sinner retained his Australian Open title with an emphatic 6-3 7-6(4) 6-3 win over Alexander Zverev on Sunday, breaking new ground for Italian tennis and leaving his German rival smarting after a third Grand Slam final defeat.
The world number one became Italy’s first player to win three Grand Slam crowns, moving past Nicola Pietrangeli who won back-to-back men’s titles at Roland Garros in 1959-60.
A year after mowing down Daniil Medvedev in five sets for his first major trophy, Sinner sapped his second Melbourne Park final of all drama as he wore down Zverev with suffocating pressure and claimed the match with clinical execution.
The one-sided win in the floodlit Rod Laver Arena underlined the 23-year-old’s status as the game’s pre-eminent hardcourt player , if robbing fans of a proper contest.
“It was an amazing performance from my side,” he said. “I want to enjoy this one. This one has a different feeling (and) means so much to me.”
For all Sinner’s joy, a long-standing doping case continues to hang over his head.
Though cleared to play by tennis authorities, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is seeking a ban which could derail his French Open plans. A hearing is set for April.
A ban may be the only way to stop Sinner, given how impervious he has been to the distractions.
Sunday’s win extended the U.S. Open champion’s winning streak to 21 matches.
“Many, many things happen off the court, what you maybe don’t know,” he said.
“When I go on the court, even if sometimes it’s very difficult to block these kind of things, I have the team and people who are close to me who trust me.”
For Zverev, the result was another bitter blow , his third defeat in three Grand Slam finals leaving him in tears.
His miserable night was compounded by a heckler in the crowd who made reference to domestic violence allegations he faced in recent years.
“First of all, it sucks standing here next to this thing and not being able to touch it,” the red-eyed German said of the winner’s Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.
“Congrats to Jannik, you’re the best player in the world by far. I was hoping that I could be more of a competitor today but you’re too good.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to lift the trophy but I’ll keep coming back, I’ll keep trying.”
ZVEREV SMASHES RACKET
The match was all but over when Zverev dropped serve in the sixth game of the third set.
Arguably, the German’s spirit was broken before that by an unlucky net cord that turned the second-set tiebreak in Sinner’s favour.
It was 4-4 in the tiebreak when Sinner fired into the net cord and saw the ball dribble over.
Sinner thumped down a huge serve to raise two set points and converted the first, going for broke from the baseline with a furious forehand that kissed the line.
A gutted Zverev smashed his racket as he returned to his chair with the match slipping away.
There would be no last stand from him, nor any wobble from Sinner who did not cough up a single break point in the match.
Sinner sealed the win with a backhand passing shot on the first match point and celebrated by clambering into the terraces to embrace his entourage.
For Zverev, the wait for a maiden Grand Slam title will go on after he finished runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at last year’s French Open and gave up a two-set lead in defeat to Dominic Thiem in the 2020 U.S. Open decider.
There was more sourness as he went to the microphone to congratulate Sinner, with a person in the crowd yelling repeatedly: ‘Australia believes Olga and Brenda’.
In June last year, Zverev’s lawyers said he had agreed a settlement after the mother of his child, Brenda Patea, accused him of physical abuse and a German court closed the case.
Zverev repeatedly rejected the allegations by Patea.
In January 2023, the ATP, citing insufficient evidence, closed an investigation that had been launched after another ex-girlfriend, tennis player Olga Sharypova, accused Zverev of domestic abuse.
Asked about the heckler, Zverev said: “I believe there are no more accusations. There haven’t been for, what, nine months now.
“I think I’ve done everything I can and I’m not about to open that subject again.”
-Reuters
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Top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend claimed the women’s doubles crown at the Australian Open on Sunday after beating Jelena Ostapenko and Hsieh Su-wei 6-2 6-7(4) 6-3 in a gruelling final.
The victory at Rod Laver Arena gave Siniakova and Townsend their second Grand Slam title after their Wimbledon triumph last year while it was the 10th major title for Czech Siniakova, the doubles world number one.
“Big thanks goes to Taylor, we are having fun and that’s the most important, so thank you for playing with me. I’m really enjoying it,” Siniakova said after lifting the trophy with her American partner.
For Townsend, the win was a full-circle moment in her career after she won the title as a junior in Melbourne in 2012.
“This is super special to me, the last time I played on this court I was 15,” she said.
“This tournament was the start of me being able to live out my dream. I honestly didn’t think that it was possible for me to be playing on this stage.”
Siniakova and Townsend had several opportunities to break early on and finally converted a break point to go 2-1 up as Hsieh and Ostapenko struggled with their serve.
The third seeds quickly found themselves 5-1 down as Siniakova and Townsend consolidated a double break before the American sealed the set with an emphatic volley at the net.
After they traded early breaks in the second set, Townsend was once again effective at the net with an overhead smash that gave them a 4-3 lead before Siniakova held her serve to put them one game away from the title.
But Ostapenko and Hsieh, playing in just their second tournament as a pairing, broke back in the 10th game when Townsend served for the title.
A frustrated Siniakova threw her racket on the ground before the third seeds won the tiebreak and forced a decider. The Czech then lost her composure and was broken in the first game of the third set with three double faults.
But they quickly regrouped to break back and Siniakova converted a crucial break point to go 5-3 up.
This time, Siniakova served for the title, and despite another double fault with three championship points, they sealed victory when Townsend fired a volley at the net down the middle to win in two hours and 27 minutes.
“I think for our second tournament, playing a Grand Slam final is not bad,” Ostapenko said.
“Together, I hope there are many more trophies for us.”
-Reuters
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Novak Djokovic retired injured after losing the first set 7-6(5) against Alexander Zverev on Friday to put the German through to his first Australian Open final and extend his wait for a record 25th Grand Slam title.
Zverev will meet either Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton in Sunday’s decider as he bids for his first Grand Slam title, but Djokovic will remain locked with Margaret Court on 24 major trophies until at least the French Open.
There were doubts about Djokovic’s left thigh following his taxing quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz when he took a lengthy medical timeout after the first set against the Spaniard.
The 37-year-old Serb skipped a training session on the eve of the semi-final and entered Rod Laver Arena for the afternoon match with the thigh strapped.
But there was little indication he was struggling until late in the set when he began trudging slowly between points and muttering in frustration at his players’ box.
He gave up the set by hammering a regulation forehand volley into the net and promptly walked to Zverev’s side to shake hands and embrace the German, leaving the crowd gasping.
With a rueful expression, Djokovic held two thumbs up and clapped at the terraces but there was a round of boos as the 10-times champion made his exit.
Djokovic later said he had been trying to nurse a torn muscle and he was in increasing pain as the set wore on.
“I knew even if I won the first set, that it’s going to be a huge uphill battle for me to stay physically fit enough to stay with him in the rallies, you know, for another God knows what, two, three, four hours,” the Serb told reporters.
“I don’t think I had that, unfortunately, today in the tank.”
‘SHOW SOME RESPECT’
Zverev said he was also surprised by Djokovic’s retirement but noted the Serb’s movement had fallen away in the tiebreak.
“I thought it was a high level first set,” he added.
“Of course there are some difficulties … in the tiebreak he was not moving. I did see him struggle a bit more.”
Zverev also admonished sections of the crowd for jeering Djokovic, who has dominated the year’s opening Grand Slam since winning his first trophy at Melbourne Park in 2008.
“The very first thing I want to say is, please guys, don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury,” Zverev said.
“I know everyone paid for tickets and everyone wants to see hopefully a great five-set match.
“But … Novak Djokovic is someone who has given this sport for the past 20 years absolutely everything of his life.
“He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear, won this tournament with a hamstring injury.
“So please show some respect.”
The truncated semi-final win is a huge boost for Zverev’s hopes of finally winning a Grand Slam, having missed out to Alcaraz in last year’s French Open final and surrendering a two-set lead before losing to Dominic Thiem in the 2020 U.S. Open decider.
The rangy 27-year-old has been tipped for Grand Slam success since his teen years but was often thwarted by the likes of Djokovic and the now-retired Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.
Zverev was strong on serve on Friday and appeared content to wage attritional rallies with the Serb while biding his time for chances.
Though failing to convert all five break points he had over Djokovic, Zverev was rock-solid in the tiebreak.
He thrashed a forehand down the line to bring up set point with a 24th winner before Djokovic made his stunning exit, a year after being shocked by Sinner in the semi-finals.
-Reuters
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