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Novak Djokovic Debacle Leads to More Chaos as WTA Player Loses Visa Ahead of Australian Open 2022

Published 01/07/2022, 12:28 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

After the Novak Djokovic drama that has gone on for the past few days, there was bound to be more chaos. After the Serbian’s visa was cancelled, another tennis player has followed suit. From the WTA circuit, Czech Republic’s Renata Voráčová has been denied a visa, as per latest reports. This will only lead to further absentees in the upcoming days. What’s next?

WATCH THIS STORY: US Open Disqualification to No Entry at Australian Open: Novak Djokovic’s Biggest Controversies

The moment World No.1 Novak Djokovic posted that he is entering Australia via medical exemption, there was mayhem brewing. After all, the country had extremely strict guidelines regarding their health situation with the ongoing pandemic. Nonetheless, having reached Melbourne, everyone anticipated that it would be smooth sailing ahead. On the contrary, the Australian government entered the chat, denying the 20-time Grand Slam champion’s hopes of defending his coveted crown.

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Czech star has visa cancelled after Novak Djokovic saga

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In addition to the government refusing to grant medical exemption, ‘Nole’ faced some issues with his visa. This resulted in him not being in contention to enter the city, let alone the arena. Following this, he has been kept in detention, as the authorities look for solutions. Several stars of the game have now come in support of Djokovic, including Nick Kyrgios, John Isner, Feliciano Lopez, and more. Meanwhile, the ban on his entry has only led to a domino effect, with another victim now.

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Renata Voráčová, a WTA player from the Czech Republic, has now had her visa cancelled, as per latest reports. She was informed that she cannot compete, and must leave the country as soon as possible. According to the same report, three other players have also been informed of the same. Confirming Renata’s situation, the Czech Foreign Ministry said, “We can confirm that Czech tennis player Renata Voráčová is in the same detention as Djokovic, together with several other players.” Meanwhile, it is likely that more players will also be shown the exit doors in the near future. While Tennis Australia did allow them at first, it seems like the state guidelines do not seem to conform to the same.

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It was surely anticipated that once Djokovic was denied exemption, it would create a chain reaction. The question that remains to be answered is, how detrimental is it going to be? Will Djokovic be able to compete in the inaugural Slam of the year? Have your say.

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Written by:

Sankalp Harikrishnan

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Sankalp Harikrishnan is an NBA and Tennis writer at EssentiallySports. He aspires to pursue Sports Journalism and has represented his institution in cricket, badminton, soccer and table tennis. Sankalp idolises Roger Federer and Stephen Curry, and has an inherent love for statistics.
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