Australians have reacted with fury and confusion after tennis star Novak Djokovic revealed he had received a travel exemption to play in the Australian Open.
Djokovic has consistently declined to reveal his vaccination status, and as a result looked unlikely to be allowed to play in the tournament.
However, the Serbian star revealed on Instagram on Tuesday that he had received a medical exemption.
The Australian Open and the Victorian government confirmed the exemption on Tuesday night, stating a review had been carried out to confirm Djokovic had “a genuine medical condition that meets the criteria for an exemption”.
The decision was met with fury by Australians on social media.
Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg posted the Australian government’s guidelines on who could be allowed an exemption, and said questions would be raised about the legitimacy of Djokovic’s exemption.
“Though we now know that Djokovic plans to play the Australian Open, there will still be considerable speculation about the legitimacy of his exemption,” Rothenberg wrote.
“What ‘acute major medical condition’, as listed here by Australian authorities, could a healthy No.1-ranked athlete have?
“There are also non-medical exemptions which can be applied for to enter Australia; Djokovic did not say his exemption was medical. However it’s difficult to imagine a tennis player, even a good one, could be deemed ‘in the national interest’ or possessing ‘critical skills.'”
