Reuters
Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 1, 2022 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts during his quarter final match against Spain’s Rafael Nadal REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Reuters
Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 1, 2022 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts during his quarter final match against Spain’s Rafael Nadal REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
It was a turbulent beginning to this year for Novak Djokovic. After a successful 2021 season that saw him lift three Grand Slam trophies, he was destined to achieve big things this season. However, as soon as he arrived Down Under to defend his Australian Open crown, a controversy engulfed him.
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The authorities canceled his visa after he failed to provide valid documents to justify his vaccine exemption. Subsequently, a legal battle ensued days before the commencement of the tournament. Finally, the former World Number 1 faced deportation from Australia which denied him the chance of playing in the Australian Open. During this controversy, Djokovic’s father made a special appeal to Queen Elizabeth II.
Queen Elizabeth II ignored a special request for Novak Djokovic
Djokovic’s father appealed to Queen Elizabeth II, who was the leader of the Commonwealth, to intervene and grant special permission for his son to participate in the Australian Open.
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 12, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Novak Djokovic of Serbia speaks to the crowd during the trophy presentation ceremony after his match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia (not pictured) in the men’s singles final on day fourteen of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
The 21-time Grand Slam champion’s father went on to say, “I call on the Queen of Britain, Elizabeth, the leader of the Commonwealth, to intervene and protect the human rights of my son Novak Djokovic and to stop the political prosecution that has been carried out against him since he came to Australia.”
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However, the British monarch snubbed this request from Djokovic’s father. Apparently, she was never an ardent follower of tennis. During her 70-year reign, she made an appearance at the Wimbledon Championships on very few occasions.
When will Djokovic be back in action?
Like the Australian Open, the Serb had to skip the US Open this year owing to his vaccination status. However, he will come back later this month. While he’ll skip the Davis Cup commitments for Serbia, Djokovic will participate in the Laver Cup where he’ll play for Team Europe. The tournament will take place from September 23-25 in London.
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Further, Djokovic will also play in Tel Aviv Watergen Open and the Rolex Paris Masters.
