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Novak Djokovic has suffered a rather turbulent year in terms of Grand Slam participation. Simply put – he wasn’t allowed to compete in two of them. And despite that, he still picked up a Grand Slam title in the 2022 season. Most recently, Djokovic wasn’t permitted to compete at the 2022 US Open due to government restrictions on unvaccinated travelers.
As you may also remember, back in January he was actually deported from Australia. Because of that, he was facing a three-year ban from the country. And if that held up, it wouldn’t be unfair to say that his career in terms of playing the Australian Open would be over. However, news has recently come to light surrounding Djokovic and the 2023 Australian Open.
According to reports, the Australian Government has gone back on the initial decision to ban Djokovic from entering the country. And that’s an important distinction. He wasn’t banned from the tournament by Tennis Australia, he was actually banned by the government. But things are looking extremely promising for 2023 – allow me to give you the scoop.
Australian Open 2023 – Welcome Back Novak Djokovic
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The news that came through regarding Djokovic and the 2023 Australian Open over the weekend. Ironically, this news came while the next big thing in tennis, Carlos Alcaraz, was winning his first Grand Slam and taking the number one ranking. But on the other side of the world, big things were also happening. Novak Djokovic was the topic of discussion, and it would seem that he has now been given the green light to play at the Australian Open next year.
However, how has this happened when he was facing a three-year ban?
A New Government in Australia
The first thing I wish to highlight relates to his three-year ban. After all, if this remained, even if entry restrictions were relaxed, he still wouldn’t be able to compete. So this is arguably the most important change of them all. Back in May 2022, Australia had a general election, and the government that imposed the ban was voted out. Of course, a new government means new ideas. And it looks like the new government didn’t share the same views on his ban.
Unvaccinated US Swimmer Entered the Country
Another interesting element here relates to an unvaccinated swimmer being able to enter the country. This occurred just last month, in August 2022. So naturally, this prompted an interesting debate of double standards within the government by allowing this to happen. However, this did happen after Australia altered the rules regarding COVID-19 vaccination. But still, it’s an interesting link since this was another elite athlete coming to Australia to compete. Yet he didn’t face any hurdles whatsoever.
Overall Relaxation of Entry Restrictions
As of July 2022, the Australian Government changed the entry requirements in terms of COVID-19. While previously, Australia required all entrants to be vaccinated, this is no longer part of the rules. Therefore, no matter if Djokovic remains unvaccinated, he will be able to enter the country. And of course, this is all the more promising given that his ban has been overturned.
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