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Russian diplomat slams Australia’s decision on Djokovic as shameful

The Serbian tennis player was detained at Australia’s Melbourne Airport on late evening of January 5 after failing to provide proof of his medical exemption for coronavirus vaccines to Australian border control officers. His visa was canceled and he was informed of the need to leave the country

UNITED NATIONS, January 16. /TASS/. Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyansky has slammed as "shameful" the decision to ban Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic from taking part in the 2022 Australian Open tennis tournament.

"What a shameful decision to ban Novak Djokovic @DjokerNole from AustralianOpen2022! Politics should not interfere in sport. I wish Novak new victories, Australian public is the clear loser in this row which overshadows the competition itself," he wrote on his Twitter account on Sunday.

The Serbian tennis player was detained at Australia’s Melbourne Airport on late evening of January 5 after failing to provide proof of his medical exemption for coronavirus vaccines to Australian border control officers. His visa was canceled and he was informed of the need to leave the country. Djokovic turned to Australia’s federal court, challenging the legitimacy of the border force’s decision, and won the case, but the Australian authorities once again revoked his visa on January 14. His lawyers tried challenge his visa revocation once again but lost the case.

World No. 1 Djokovic, 34, won 20 Grand Slam titles, nine Australian Open titles, including in 2021, six Wimbledon titles, three US Open titles and two French Open titles. He secured a total of 86 victories at tournaments as part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Djokovic is also a bronze medalist of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

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